My mother was admitted to 7E after being sick with diarrhea and vomiting for five months. On admission she was contacted by her sister to inform her that their 99 yr old mother had passed away. To add to this, it was the week of the 3rd anniversary of my brother’s death from esophageal cancer, which is always a hard time for my mom, who suffers from anxiety and depression. To say that my sister and I were overwhelmed is an understatement. We came to 7E worried not only for my mother’s physical health but her mental health as well, when in walks George Wertz like Hertz but with a W. I could never have imagined what he would come to mean to my family.

George quickly recognized my mother’s emotional struggles and adjusted himself to meet her where she was: a very sick, emotional, and grieving woman who was at the end of her rope and desperate for relief. He listened to her with compassion and kindness but was direct and firm with all of us on what she needed to do to get better. He learned that this 71-year-old woman walked 10 miles per day and worked out three times per week and immediately understood her struggle in feeling helpless and unable to even get herself out of bed. He used what he learned about her to constantly re-adjust himself to help her. He convinced her to get help to grieve her son, something we haven’t been able to do in three years. He recognized that when asked her pain level she was just throwing out numbers and helped her by asking the worst pain of her life and the aches of waking up in the morning to give her something tangible to reference so she could accurately articulate her pain.

I remember our devastation the first day he was on floor and not assigned to her. I don’t think we believed we would get through that day. Over three weeks in which my sister and I sat with her every day, he began to learn us as well. Which of us was more effective at calming her. Which of us was more effective at making her move when she was stubborn. He motivated us and we began keeping notes on urine output, pain levels and walks on her board to keep each other in the loop. He became so much a part of our family that our family members who weren’t able to be here would ask almost daily if it was a George Day.

While most of her nurses were good, George was more than one could hope for. He traded patients, volunteered to come in on days off, chastised us for not going home to sleep and somehow in taking care of her, he took care of all of us; something we desperately needed. On her worst days, the ones when she had given up and we weren’t sure she would make it, George was there. He reassured us, comforted us and educated us all. On her best days, he laughed with us, made jokes and helped us forget we were in the hospital. People don’t often consider the effect of an exceptional nurse on a patient's healing, nor do they consider that when a great nurse is in the room, family members feel safe and comfortable enough to go home, change clothes, get food, sleep, etc. We could not have done this without George, and I pray should my turn ever come, he’s there to greet me with a smile before kicking my butt in gear. It is also not lost on us that almost every one of our favorite nurses was trained/precepted by George.

Our bartender-turned-nurse was everything our family didn’t know we needed, and for that, we will be eternally grateful. As I sit here planning for my mother to go home in the next few days, my mind goes to George and I know we will take a piece of him home with us. On the rough days to come as we know they will, we will channel our inner George to get her through, never forgetting all that he gave us.