For the last week of my 87-year-old mom's life, Lauren was the rock for my mom and our family. I have never experienced such compassionate, wise care from a nurse before - Lauren was truly incredible in her caring for my mom and my entire family. My mom had managed advanced lung fibrosis for years with home oxygen but had recently been struggling with increasing shortness of breath. A viral infection sent her to the ED and ultimately to the eICU at Dublin Methodist Hospital, where she was on heated high-flow oxygen for about a week. With this level of oxygen support, my mom actually felt better than she had in months, so it was difficult for her and for many of our family to comprehend that her lungs were not likely to recover to the point that she could be weaned back down to her regular oxygen levels and return home. My mom was not ready to go; she had plans, she had unfinished business, she loved life, and was afraid and anxious about the process of dying.

While the hospitalist and palliative care team were fantastic, it was Lauren who helped my mom understand her disease and its likely course. It was Lauren who eased her panic by explaining she could continue her high-flow oxygen as long as she was able to have meaningful conversations and cherished moments with her family and friends. It was Lauren who offered to sit with her and take down the list of instructions she wanted to give her family to settle her mind. It was Lauren who had the delicate conversations with my dad, my mom's life partner of 67+ years, and showed him such love and compassion, taking care of his needs both physical and emotional. It was Lauren who ultimately gave my mom the language to signal when she needed more comfort care near the end, without upsetting her family in the room with her. And it was Lauren who honored her wishes at the very end with a prayer for her and her daughters in the room with her when she passed. I am so grateful that this loving woman was with my family and me for the last four days of my mom's life. She helped make the most unbearable, bearable - quick with a much-needed hug, a box of snacks, and most importantly, individualized care that understood each of us, from my mom, to my dad, to my siblings and children, to me. She met each of us right where we were and demonstrated exceptional empathy, endless patience, and wisdom. Lauren Howard has a remarkable gift for nursing, especially during the emotional and difficult time of end-of-life care.”