It has been nearly seven months since my mom passed at St. Barnabas. There is a nurse who really embodies the true fighter and kind spirit that was my mom. Kristine Strelec is a 2400 floor nurse, who helped us more than she probably knows in Mom's last days.
Mom's veins were giving up, her heart raced and the rapid response team, Assistant Nurse Manager of CCU and Kristine raced to get a line as Mom grew more anxious. Literally climbing on top of her- one, two, three and then, four nurses worked feverishly to grab a working vein. Kristine was Mom's primary nurse but also the head for the unit that day. She came back so many times to just peek her head in and check on Mom after things were stable again. She came in, grabbed my mom's face, and rested her forehead on Mom's. She whispered to her that she's not going anywhere. She fought for my mom and gave our family another day of smiles with her.
Mom doesn't like the fuss, but she let me stay by her side that night. Kristine warned me there was a snowstorm coming. She knew I had over a 1.5-hour ride home. Seeing that I was not going anywhere, she grabbed a pillow for me. There were so many times during those 18 days that several nurses and patient care techs stopped back to check on Mom. Kristine was definitely one of them. Such a truly kind person and an amazing nurse! She quickly identified that something was off and took the necessary steps to minimize harm. Honoring Kristine is the most appropriate birthday gift for my mom's memory.