It was going along just like any other day, until I received a frantic phone call from my husband, who is typically the calm, cool, collected one, that our youngest son “nearly cut his toe off”. As we rushed to the Emergency Room, I was in awe at how brave and strong our son, who is only 5, was being, and thankful to the lord that he was handling the situation the way he was. As we approached the ER, we were triaged immediately and treated with such kindness and grace. After the NP and MD took a look, they felt confident that although it was significant, they could fix it with the help of their team.

As we entered our assigned room, in walked the Blue Angels, but one of them stood out of the crowd. Madelyn Grimes was an absolute godsend! She interacted with our son, who was so nervous and leery, to the point that they were laughing and cracking jokes in what was such an unsure time for him. Of course, they were bargaining for toys by the end of the conversation. She would kneel down to get on his eye level and ask him questions all about him to try and distract him from the scary things around him, and it worked. She even convinced him that his IV was a “special button” that only the cool kids got to have, which brought back the strong and tough little boy that I know. As a nurse myself, I know firsthand how the hustle and bustle in a day’s time can easily take your time away from your patients, but Madelyn made a point to stay with us every step of the way and never once seemed as if she was in a hurry to leave his side.

One of the best parts of this story is that she wasn't even his nurse. My husband asked me later, “How do you know her?”. I told him, “Well, I really don’t, but I’m glad she’s here.” She just became a part of the family immediately.

This is where the story gets even better. Madelyn texted me the day after his accident to see how he was doing. This was so meaningful and such a thoughtful gesture. She didn’t stop there; she texted me a week later to see how he was managing to get along with his stitches. I told her he never missed a beat and was running around like nothing was wrong. Her response, “Oh, I’m so glad, I’ve been praying for him. The lord made you a nurse because He just knew.”

This was a 'wow' moment for me, and I think the lord knew we would need her, too! What a blessing she is to MBMC and to the patients she encounters! We could not have been more blessed by her actions, prayers, and kindness.