I am writing to you to extend my family's deepest gratitude for the care my mother received while admitted at United Hospital last week. I particularly want to highlight the care my mother received on her last day of life from RN Kelly on the 3rd floor during her final hours of life on May 6th. My mother had a recent CVA and has chronic interstitial lung disease, but was cognitively normal. After fighting with extreme shortness of breath and hypoxia for several days, on top of her new hemiparesis from the CVA, and with the help of palliative care, she decided that she was done fighting.

On May 6th, when my family went down to get some lunch, my mother's O2 saturation started to drop, and we got a call from RN Kelly saying that her condition was deteriorating quickly, that we should come back ASAP. When we got back to the room, Kelly was sitting in a chair, holding my mother's hands with tears running down her face, comforting my frightened mother. Over the next few hours, as we waited for the rest of the family that was flying in from around the country and Europe, Kelly quietly checked on us every few minutes, giving PRN meds and making sure my mom was comfortable and able to hang on until everyone she wanted to see was present so we could all say our final goodbyes.

After my mother expired, Kelly could not have been more comforting and loving if she had been one of the family. We felt comforted and at peace as we left the hospital when Kelly told us she would make all the appropriate notifications and clean my mother up one last time. As an ER MD, I know how easy it is to become calloused and impersonal working in our field, so I was blown away by how RN Kelly and the many other RNs, PTs, OTs, speech therapists, and CNAs at United were so caring, gentle, and patient with my mother.

Thank your staff and especially RN Kelly for making my mother's last days so comfortable and so meaningful for the entire family. We will never forget their kindness and compassion.