Erin is a wonderful nurse. She is a true advocate for her patients, and my sister and I witnessed this personally. There was a malfunction with my sister's newly placed G-tube. She immediately realized this and notified the appropriate people to ensure this was addressed for my sister's health and safety. I thank Jesus for this and her. My sister's stay was made longer because of this malfunction, and my sister was anxious from being cooped up in a hospital room for so long. My sister began asking to please go outside the room for a little while. Erin literally carried an oxygen tank and heart monitor while I pushed the wheelchair, so my sister could sit outside for a nice field trip. She was a blessing to my sister and me. She did the most to keep my sister safe and give her some peace of mind during her stay.

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During a hectic workday, she saved a patient's life. She was assessing her patient and noticed blue dye coming out of a G-tube placed just two days prior. She immediately notified the surgeon who had placed the G-tube and did not administer medications or feedings through the tube. She reassured him that she had not accessed the port for the balloon holding the G-tube in place. Another surgeon came to the bedside, assessed the situation, and discovered that the balloon, which contained dyed water, had burst. The surgeon was going to replace the G-tube at the bedside; upon testing the balloon, it burst on the new tube.

Following this, the patient had to return to the OR in order to have the tube replaced. Her knowledge, gut instincts, and general care for the patient prevented this patient from serious harm. When the patient's sister arrived at the bedside and everything was explained, she hugged the nurse in appreciation for the safety she had provided her sister that morning. Further surgery led to this patient, due to her underlying medical condition, having to delay her discharge because surgical procedures are difficult for her respiratory status. This all occurred on a Friday. Since the patient was unable to go home, this nurse arranged with the charge nurse and critical care team to help this patient go outside and enjoy the sunlight the very next day. The patient was unable to verbalize much due to her condition, but it was clear from the look on her face how much that meant to her.

This reminds me more than ever of the quote by Maya Angelou, which says, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." The patient may forget what she did that day to save her life, but the patient will never forget how she made them feel when she got to go outside and enjoy the sunlight. The sister of the patient, on the other hand, will never forget what the nurse did that day to save her sister's life, and she definitely won't forget how this nurse made her sister and herself feel for those days this nurse was caring for them.