Since being diagnosed with stage 4 HF, I have been going through a long journey. Examples are depression from limited ability to do things, medication optimization, arranging and warning doctors that symptoms have changed, and an urgent need for non-Penn doctors to approve Lasix.

Dawn did all of these things; she is far beyond a nurse. She kept me out of the hospital when others wanted me there. She recommended liquid morphine instead of pills to speed up pain relief, which doctors approved. My cardiologist is passive and does not help me take charge of my health. Dawn does. 

Yesterday, Friday at 5 PM, when the infusion was gone, and I was distended, Dawn made arrangements to get a push through a Lasix injection. No one usually does that; instead, they tell me to call 911. Not Dawn, she asked if I wanted to go to the hospital as my cardiologist said, and I said no, wait one more day and see if the swelling went down, which it did. You can always hire anybody to say call 911, or you can hire a real nurse to advocate for her patients. Thank you!