A 16-year-old male was admitted to 5 East following a traumatic spinal cord injury. The patient was playing hockey and was hit from behind under the level of his helmet by a hockey puck. He went head first into the boards of the rink sustaining a small SAH and a C5-7 fracture. He was immediately unable to move from nipple line down. The nursing staff was very empathetic and quickly developed close relationships with the parents and the patient. Staff would encourage and maintain a positive environment by learning what the patient and family needed to keep moving forward during such a life altering event. It was also Christmas time...and his 17th birthday was coming up.
The 5 East nursing staff were determined to keep his spirits up. There were many nurses who cared for him, but one of the most consistent was Catherine Manzo. She was a nurse throughout his stay. Others were Samantha, Doug, Jaclyn, Elena and Jennifer L. The parents often mentioned nursing staff by name and were thankful for the excellent care and emotional support.
As Christmas neared and the patient continued to improve, the next step to rehab was coming soon. The family was busy checking out facilities. The patient was getting depressed and needed a pick me up. Stacie Heichel CA, myself as well as some nursing staff decided that it would be wonderful to try to arrange for the patient to meet a Red Wing player. The patient loved hockey and knew so much about the sport and the Red Wing team members. I reached out to Kathleen Grobbel, RN from pediatric child life services. We also contacted the Beaumont Foundation hoping to make the right connections so he could meet one of his idols.
Then everything came together. It was going to happen. e didn't get too much notice, but before we knew it, Red Wing Danny DeKeyser was up on 5 East and heading into the patient's room. The parents were as surprised as the patient and Danny was wonderful. He brought all kinds of mementos and gifts. Signed pictures, a jersey, blanket, bobble head, posters and more. Kathleen Grobbel and a Beaumont Foundation member were also part of the team to meet the parents and the patient. We were choked up and could see that the parents were overjoyed for their son to have this special moment in time before starting on the long road through rehab. The patient left for RIM Rehab. We will never forget him, and still talk about this great event that was able to happen thanks to the work and efforts of many. It took a team to provide the extraordinary care that was needed to get the patient ready for his life journey.
Status update: As of April 2017, the patient has been progressing well in rehab and was able to go home and will continue with outpatient rehab at the RIM facility. His attitude is positive and he remains very encouraged and supported by his family.

**Team Members honored with this DAISY TEAM Award:
Patricia Erwin, RN, BSN, MSA - Administrative Manager 5 East SICU
Catherine Manzo, RN, BSN
Bethany Regner, PA Neurosurgery
Stacie Heichel, CA -Clinical Assistant 5 East
Kathleen Grobbel, BA, CTRS, CCLS -Supervisor Child Life Services
Nancy Sovran - Executive Director Wish Upon a Teen