Lee Ann Savel
June 2022
Lee Ann
Savel
,
BSN, RN
Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
Medical University of South Carolina- Charleston
Charleston
,
SC
United States
Lee Ann went above and beyond her usual excellence and handled an end of life situation with kindness, compassion, skill, and the utmost respect for her patient and family.
On any given shift on the PCICU, Lee Ann stands out as a very skilled nurse. She is a aware, helpful, happy and takes exceptional care of her patients. Lee Ann is that nurse that when you look at staffing you think "Great I have Lee Ann today."
Lee Ann went above and beyond her usual excellence and handled an end of life situation with kindness, compassion, skill, and the utmost respect for her patient and family. Her patient was a 19-day-old baby girl on ECMO after two open heart surgeries. It was Memorial Day weekend and the very important services like interpreters, chaplins' and child life specialists were not available. The family was Spanish speaking and had 2 young daughters ages 7 and 9 who were at the bedside. After multiple conversations with an online interpreter and the treatment team, the parents became aware that their baby was not going to survive. Lee Ann had gotten to known these parents on previous shifts and was aware of their religious preferences. There was an urgency for things to happen due to the clinical condition of the baby and Lee Ann involved the charge nurse and the HSC in order to get a Catholic priest to the bedside for baptism that she was handled through an online interpreter.
Lee Ann made arrangements for one of the clinical techs on the unit to take the 2 sisters out of the room for hours to allow parents some alone time with their baby. The sisters were able to draw, read books and make good-bye memory drawings for their baby sister. Lee Ann made keep-sake foot prints of all three children to give to the family. Throughout a very sad and challenging day, Lee Ann supported the family emotionally as well as with updated clinical information. Lee Ann arranged all of this and the day culminated with the mother being able to hold her baptized baby for the first time ever before she passed away.
The spirit in which Lee Ann delivered care to this family was an example to all and I will not forget the look on Lee Ann's face and the tears she cried as the family walked off of the unit that day. This was a day where Lee Ann gave everything she had to a family and did it with kindness and grace. Thank you, Lee Ann, for all that you do on the PCICU.
Lee Ann went above and beyond her usual excellence and handled an end of life situation with kindness, compassion, skill, and the utmost respect for her patient and family. Her patient was a 19-day-old baby girl on ECMO after two open heart surgeries. It was Memorial Day weekend and the very important services like interpreters, chaplins' and child life specialists were not available. The family was Spanish speaking and had 2 young daughters ages 7 and 9 who were at the bedside. After multiple conversations with an online interpreter and the treatment team, the parents became aware that their baby was not going to survive. Lee Ann had gotten to known these parents on previous shifts and was aware of their religious preferences. There was an urgency for things to happen due to the clinical condition of the baby and Lee Ann involved the charge nurse and the HSC in order to get a Catholic priest to the bedside for baptism that she was handled through an online interpreter.
Lee Ann made arrangements for one of the clinical techs on the unit to take the 2 sisters out of the room for hours to allow parents some alone time with their baby. The sisters were able to draw, read books and make good-bye memory drawings for their baby sister. Lee Ann made keep-sake foot prints of all three children to give to the family. Throughout a very sad and challenging day, Lee Ann supported the family emotionally as well as with updated clinical information. Lee Ann arranged all of this and the day culminated with the mother being able to hold her baptized baby for the first time ever before she passed away.
The spirit in which Lee Ann delivered care to this family was an example to all and I will not forget the look on Lee Ann's face and the tears she cried as the family walked off of the unit that day. This was a day where Lee Ann gave everything she had to a family and did it with kindness and grace. Thank you, Lee Ann, for all that you do on the PCICU.