Dawn Johnson
August 2025
Dawn
Johnson
,
LPN
Sister Bay Clinic
Door County Medical Center
Sister Bay
,
WI
United States
I wanted to talk to someone I trusted to give me sound medical advice.
Dawn is a compassionate, friendly nurse who has always demonstrated care and interest in my husband and me.
Over the years, and living in the Chicago area for most of my life, I have watched the relationships with medical center personnel and doctor offices become less and less personal. More patients, less time, more complicated situations, etc., all contributed to less of a close relationship with the physicians and staff of the medical centers I went to.
Then my husband and I moved to Egg Harbor. We have worked with Dawn for at least 10 years, first in Fish Creek, then in Sister Bay. She is the first person we would see, efficient, warm, and caring, and interested in what we say as she does the weight, BP, etc. We never felt rushed or unseen, even if we only saw her once every 6 months.
Then one day, while visiting our family in the Chicago area, my husband experienced some unusual symptoms that didn’t seem right, but were not obvious. He was particularly quiet, sort of slow to answer or participate in the conversation. I needed some advice and hoped I could get him home rather than seeing a new doctor in a strange hospital. So, I called Dawn. I had never done anything like this before, but I just knew something wasn’t right, and I wanted to talk to someone I trusted to give me sound medical advice.
I explained what we were seeing, and Dawn immediately said, “Get him in the car and immediately get him to the hospital.” I told her about my concerns about a new hospital, that exchanging medical records could be inefficient, it was only a 5-hour drive, and so on. Dawn listened and then said, “Please, get him to the hospital without delay.”
The urgent tone of her voice convinced me that I needed to do so as she said- we went to an ER facility, which immediately moved him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a progressive stroke and, after many tests over the next day or two, had a carotid endarterectomy. It appears now that all is well, and we can move forward.
A week or so later, we went to the doctor’s office, and there was Dawn. She was waiting for us to arrive with smiles and big hugs. She mentioned that during the night after our phone conversation, she was so worried about him and was glad to see him on the mend. I had NEVER felt such a personal connection with someone at my doctor’s office. She is our forever-lifesaving friend!
As an aside, I MUST mention that everyone in Dr. R’s office is wonderful. Caring, patient, knowledgeable, and compassionate. We never feel rushed, the attention is sincere, and we feel relieved every time we leave that we have just experienced the best possible care. We feel very lucky to know and work with them all!
Over the years, and living in the Chicago area for most of my life, I have watched the relationships with medical center personnel and doctor offices become less and less personal. More patients, less time, more complicated situations, etc., all contributed to less of a close relationship with the physicians and staff of the medical centers I went to.
Then my husband and I moved to Egg Harbor. We have worked with Dawn for at least 10 years, first in Fish Creek, then in Sister Bay. She is the first person we would see, efficient, warm, and caring, and interested in what we say as she does the weight, BP, etc. We never felt rushed or unseen, even if we only saw her once every 6 months.
Then one day, while visiting our family in the Chicago area, my husband experienced some unusual symptoms that didn’t seem right, but were not obvious. He was particularly quiet, sort of slow to answer or participate in the conversation. I needed some advice and hoped I could get him home rather than seeing a new doctor in a strange hospital. So, I called Dawn. I had never done anything like this before, but I just knew something wasn’t right, and I wanted to talk to someone I trusted to give me sound medical advice.
I explained what we were seeing, and Dawn immediately said, “Get him in the car and immediately get him to the hospital.” I told her about my concerns about a new hospital, that exchanging medical records could be inefficient, it was only a 5-hour drive, and so on. Dawn listened and then said, “Please, get him to the hospital without delay.”
The urgent tone of her voice convinced me that I needed to do so as she said- we went to an ER facility, which immediately moved him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a progressive stroke and, after many tests over the next day or two, had a carotid endarterectomy. It appears now that all is well, and we can move forward.
A week or so later, we went to the doctor’s office, and there was Dawn. She was waiting for us to arrive with smiles and big hugs. She mentioned that during the night after our phone conversation, she was so worried about him and was glad to see him on the mend. I had NEVER felt such a personal connection with someone at my doctor’s office. She is our forever-lifesaving friend!
As an aside, I MUST mention that everyone in Dr. R’s office is wonderful. Caring, patient, knowledgeable, and compassionate. We never feel rushed, the attention is sincere, and we feel relieved every time we leave that we have just experienced the best possible care. We feel very lucky to know and work with them all!