A little backstory leading up to this situation helps make it truly known how very much I needed an angel like this to advocate for me, to help make me feel safe, and to fully appreciate how much she meant to me and my family.

Right after my husband and I adopted our daughter, I started experiencing shortness of breath, and in a little over a year and a half, I had a 30+ day stay at Northwestern away from my family with complete chest wall reconstruction. No sooner did I heal from that, I started experiencing extreme pain in my spine that had me on my knees, screaming. I spent months watching my life fall apart, in and out of ERs, worrying about my ability to work and care for my family.

I landed back at Northwestern, away from my family again, 7 months later, and after weeks on an insane Dilaudid drip with a button I could (and needed to) push every 15 minutes, they finally discovered my VP shunt wasn’t draining properly and did a shunt revision. Some wires got crossed, and right out of surgery, they cut me from the Dilaudid drip cold turkey. In the ICU, when I should have been resting peacefully because the pain I had for months was finally gone, I suddenly had the worst withdrawal symptoms I could have imagined. I became hot and freezing cold, my muscles were spasming, my legs were restless, and I was extremely agitated. I have never experienced that in my life, but I quickly understood how addicts may feel and why they are so desperate.

When I woke up in the ICU, it was basically during shift change, so Molly was the first nurse I remembered, and she truly was an angel. She explained to me why I was feeling that way and did everything she could think of to call for help, while also giving me ways to distract myself. She was talking to me, giving me things to hold, and so much more. I don’t think I could have gotten through that without ripping the incisions open without anyone else. Thankfully, things moved quickly.

After that, she was truly the best nurse. She chatted with me, especially when they wanted me on the BiPAP machine, which makes me incredibly uncomfortable. She was so patient and kind. When they wanted me to have imaging done, I was in so much pain from surgery just a few hours prior, but she was so patient and careful with me, making sure they moved me slowly and only when I was ready.

I have had upwards of 40 surgeries, within the last two years, and I have spent over 70 days at Northwestern. I’ve had a lot of nurses in my lifetime, and Molly stands out as one of the most friendly, caring, patient nurses I have had, in addition to being an excellent nurse for all the “regular” health things, too. She went over and beyond and is one of the many reasons I’m back home, working full-time and able to be home to play with my 3-year-old daughter and our poodle, who coincidentally is also named Molly. 

Thank you, Molly. Words aren’t enough to express how much you meant to me, my mom, and our whole family.