Just minutes after my Mom passed away, I spoke with Carrie Capps and I told her how proud she would be to have experienced the exceptional nursing care that was rendered to my mother and family. I also let Ms. Capps know I planned to write about experiencing Athens Regional on the “receiving end”. Deciding how to acknowledge all the superb care we experienced was challenging, as we were blessed by many great caregivers in ICU, Nephrology and Palliative Care. However, my gut knew which nurse I would like to recognize as “The DAISY” among many daisies.
Chundra Brown is that nurse. Chundra was my Mom’s nurse during her initial three days in ICU. On my first encounter with Chundra, I was moved by her sensitivity to my Mom’s condition. On that first day, Chundra stayed busy with Mom- assessing, communicating and managing her care. My family and I were experiencing heightened anxiety, as one could imagine, seeing our precious Mother on life-support. Chundra’s gentle encouragements of hope and patience for us to “wait and see”, were so insightful and helpful. On the second day of my Mom’s hospitalization, my emotions were charged and Chundra allowed me to ventilate with her. During that interaction, Chundra kept reiterating that “we were in this together”. This gave me assurance that we were exactly where we were supposed to be and with the perfect nurse for my Mom.
Chundra was extremely attentive not just to the complex clinical nursing care but also details of comfort and good hygiene. She provided thorough assessments and exceptional nursing care to my Mom. She answered our questions and communicated our needs with the physicians and other healthcare providers. She would look lovingly at my Mom while she cared for her and even shared her personal loss with us, which my sisters and I experienced immeasurable comfort from.
Mom was taken off the ventilator while Chundra had some days off. When Chundra returned to work, she came in and spoke to us---Mom smiled widely and her eyes sparkled as Chundra interacted with her. Mom remembered Chundra and what excellent care she gave her…I was touched beyond belief. Mom did get to transfer out of the ICU, but she did not recover from her illness and her spirit passed at Athens Regional. Chundra and I saw each other in the cafeteria a few weeks later. Chundra gave me a hug and was genuinely interested in how we were all doing. My family regularly asks me if I’ve seen Chundra and express what good nursing care was experienced. Chundra is an exceptional DAISY among many daisies at Athens Regional.