Family: My dad was hospitalized in the CCU at TCMC. He was admitted with congestive heart failure and was given a potential diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome within 24 hours of admission. This unwelcome complication exacerbated his struggle, and his care was transferred to an in-house hospice in the CCU on day 5 of his admission.

For the last two days of my father’s life, Jill was our day nurse. If my memory serves me correctly, Jill has worked in nursing, whether in direct patient care or in administration, for over 30 years. She was kind, compassionate, confident, and caring for the plight of our family. We were under a tremendous amount of stress because while my father was dying at TCMC, my mother was being treated for GIST tumors at NKMC.

This meant that we could not be together as a family to support my dad in his dying or my mom in her recovery. I elected to stay full-time with my dad, and my sister attended to my mom. We were spread so thin and were under an incredible amount of stress, to say the least. Because Jill had previously worked at NKMC, she was able to reassure me that the medical team there was excellent, and Jill knew many of the doctors and nurses who were caring for my mom.

Jill was also able to explain much of the information my sister was conveying to me about my mom’s treatment, which was so helpful because I couldn’t be there to ask questions and learn in real time. This really helped put my mind at ease so that I could focus on being present with my dad in his final days and hours. With regard to the level of care offered to my dad, Jill’s experience and expertise were evident.

Because my dad’s nervous system was easily agitated, Jill helped me understand what was going on with him and also what the medical team was doing to support him. Jill was there when we transferred his care to hospice and explained the difference in how his symptoms would be managed from that point on. This made the transition much easier for me, and allowed me to keep my mom and my sister informed with accurate information and an understanding that allowed me to remain calm and confident as we navigated my dad’s dying from two separate locations.

My dad died early in the morning, and as I was leaving the hospital around the time of shift change. Jill had just arrived for the day shift. When Jill recognized that my dad’s room was empty, Jill was incredibly sweet with me in the most professional way, and I was grateful to be able to thank Jill again for not only caring for my dad and me but also helping me to have confidence in the staff at NKMC as they cared for my mom.

I am happy to say that my mom is recovering nicely, and we will soon celebrate my dad’s life upon her discharge from rehab. As I reflect on the past six weeks, I can honestly say that having Jill as our nurse for those last two days was an absolute gift that helped our family navigate a lot of sadness, fear, confusion, and chaos. For this, I will always be grateful.