Recently, my young adult son presented with severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and anxiety. We arrived on a busy Friday evening,  and the waiting room was full of people waiting to be seen.  He was in excruciating pain, unable to be quiet or sit still. He was rushed to the exam room, briefly seen, then taken to CT.

Once the CT was completed, he was parked in the waiting room. Lauren Waldo was at the nursing desk at this time. My son began to rock and hit the wheelchair arm, rub his face, flush, and vomit. He was scared and embarrassed. Lauren quickly noted his behavior and symptoms and brought him to her station immediately. She asked his permission to get his vital signs and said, "Talk to me about what is going on." He was crying and barely able to answer, but Lauren kept a calming tone and posture and coached him through his episode.

He said he felt crazy, and she reassured him that he was not crazy and his reaction was from something physiologically going on, and that it was likely his reaction to the contrast dye he had just had in addition to morphine. She went to the back for a few minutes and came back with another medication that he was fearful of taking, afraid it would make him feel worse or have negative side effects. Lauren was kind and understanding and was able to explain the medication to him and what she could do if it did not work or made him feel bad.

After a few minutes of just chatting with him, he agreed to take the medication. She remained by his side for about 10 minutes, treating him like an old friend, and he started to calm down and feel better. Once he was able to sit still and his vital signs were stable, Lauren told him, "I am going to park you right here where I can see you," and she made sure he remained in her line of sight until the end of her shift.

During this shift, Lauren looked out into the waiting room and saw that my son was in crisis, mentally and physically, and responded to his desperate need. She acted quickly and professionally and, most importantly, bonded with her patient (my son) in his hour of need.  She made him feel seen, heard, and safe under her supervision. She was able to establish trust with him faster than any nurse I have seen.

My son has been struggling with this issue for weeks and was at the end of his endurance for it when we landed there that night. It was Lauren's compassion and directness that led him to feel he could trust her. I was in the waiting area for the last 4 hours of her shift, and I noticed how she would come out, reassess the patients waiting, and provide reassurance while adding personal touches as she went. She would give medication to someone, an ice pack to another, and speak gently to them while being truthful about the long wait ahead.