I was recently admitted to the 4th floor of Oneida Hospital. Being a very unexpected admission, I was unprepared, frustrated, and, like anyone, just wanted to go home to my family. When Lindsey walked into my room in the morning and introduced herself with the brightest smile, I was able to relax a little. She was friendly, personable, and attentive to my needs. Even though my medical needs were pretty low maintenance, she checked in on me and made sure I was getting exceptional care and not overlooked. She gave me the attention she would give to all her patients regardless of their level of care. Lindsey continued with the same positive attitude and professionalism all day.

Later in the day, Lindsey came into my room and explained that the doctor had ordered a different antibiotic that she would be administering to me. We discussed the medication and its administration. After receiving this medication IV push, I immediately started to feel like I was having an adverse reaction. I let Lindsey know about each of my symptoms as they appeared and that something was wrong. She calmly kept me talking and breathing through it. Lindsey quickly put me on a monitor and called for help and rapid response, as I was having an anaphylactic allergic reaction to the antibiotic. She was direct in instructing me on what she needed me to do, what she was doing, and everything going on in the room around me. She continued to hold my hand and let me know everything was going to be okay while still taking charge of the situation with complete confidence. As the room filled with the rapid response team, she relayed her assessment and stayed by my side, trying to keep me calm and meet my medical needs. The incident was overwhelming, with so much going on around me in the room, but because of the rapport she had built with me earlier in the day, I knew she was doing everything she could to help me. I was in good hands with Lindsey.

When my allergic reaction was under control, Lindsey sat with me, gave me her undivided attention, and listened to me as I talked through my emotions about this terrifying event. She was attentive to my overall well-being, not just my physical and medical needs. It was one of the scariest situations in my life, and her knowledge, support, and empathy undoubtedly got me through this traumatizing event. I don’t believe it was by mistake that Lindsey was my nurse that day. She knew exactly what to do in an emergency situation. There are no sufficient words to thank Lindsey enough for the quick thinking, professionalism, respect, and compassion she gave to me. I would, without a doubt, be happy to have her take care of any of my loved ones. I am honored to nominate Lindsey Cyrus for her exceptional care, going above and beyond the basic standards of nursing.