Elizabeth Wilson
December 2018
Elizabeth
Wilson
,
RN, NP
Tunnell Cancer Center
Beebe Healthcare
Lewes
,
DE
United States

 

 

 

When my Aunt and our family were faced with making difficult decisions regarding her care, Liz spent time with our family explaining the different options, including risks and benefits. The situation was even more complicated because my Aunt was faced with a poor prognosis and her daughter was expecting her first baby but was only 20 weeks pregnant. It was Aunt's wish to be able to live until her grandson was born. Her daughter, N, was faced with the news that her mom would not survive until the baby was born.
N had faced infertility issues for more than 10 years, so this baby is truly a miracle. Liz comforted N on many occasions and helped her cope with the idea of her mom dying before the baby was born. Liz spent a great deal of time with Aunt helping her navigate through this scary diagnosis. She listened while Aunt expressed her wishes to be able to spend the most amount of time with her family, as possible. Aunt was very scared of dying and Liz comforted her during those times. At the end (later that week), Aunt was surrounded by her family when she passed.
When leaving the hospital the morning that Aunt passed, Liz was getting off the elevator as we were getting on the elevator. She hugged our family and offered her condolences. I also work with Liz at the cancer center and have always admired Liz as a co-worker, but the compassion and care she gave Aunt and our family was amazing. A few hours after Aunt passed, N shared with us that she felt relief that her mom was no longer suffering. I do not think N would have been able to get to this point so quickly if it weren't for the support that Liz provided her with. Liz was such a blessing to our family during one of the most difficult times in our lives.