Donna Howell
September 2025
Donna
Howell
,
RN
Labor Delivery
MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital
Yakima
,
WA
United States
It didn't feel like she was there just to be there, it felt like I was part of her family, and she was caring for me out of love.
Before my admission, I had mentioned to my nurse practitioner that I wasn't feeling well. I was told to monitor symptoms and "go to the ER if it worsens". It was my last day working, and I'd had a terrible headache all day. Along with pitting edema, and blurred vision. I was given medication and told it could be a migraine, but I didn't respond to the medication. So, I was admitted and given different medications and told if it didn't resolve it was possible I had atypical preeclampsia. My headache eventually got worse, and I felt a painful pressure over my eye. Soon after I was told I had to be induced, Donna was my nurse thoughout this experience along with other nurses and they were great, but Donna was beyond that. I was very scared and didn't know what to expect, but Donna talked me through everything and was there to help calm me and motivate me. It didn't feel like she was there just to be there, it felt like I was part of her family, and she was caring for me out of love. It took me a while to dilate enough to get the balloon catheter, and then eventually to deliver. Donna was supposed to clock out and go home a few hours before I delivered, but she stayed. She took care of me made, made me feel safe, comfortable, and heard. I was even able to get a picture of her with my daughter. I am beyond grateful I had her as a nurse. My admission, labor, and delivery were scary for me. I hemorrhaged, tore, there was body cord present when my daughter was born, I ended up needed iron infusions, then a blood transfusion. But Donna made it all a little less scary, and most important, made me and my family feel cared for and understood. I would very much appreciate if she could be recognized for being such an amazing person and having such a loving and caring bedside manner.