Olivia Lollar
April 2025
Olivia
Lollar
,
RN
Obstetrics
Chandler Regional Medical Center
Chandler
,
AZ
United States
On her own initiative, she came up with a way to help keep my foot at a 90-degree angle, which helped significantly. She truly has no idea what that did for my anxiety and mental state, either.
After a long 20-hour labor, I experienced a rare delivery complication, a peroneal nerve injury that caused a foot drop. Being freshly postpartum after an incredibly painful delivery with horrible back labor and a failed epidural, it was very hard to stay positive as I was processing a lot of the delivery trauma as well as trying to process that I had no feeling in my foot and couldn’t walk and what that was going to mean for the future with a newborn baby being a first-time mom. I was internally dealing with so much anxiety as my future flashed before my eyes, worried if the damage was going to be permanent, all while trying to be super high spirits on the outside because I knew I needed to feel so blessed to have a healthy baby. The anxiety about my foot made me feel so guilty and selfish. I never in a million years thought I would be the person to have some postpartum depression, and I was really trying to hide it.
I was in the hospital for multiple days, waiting to see a neurologist. During that time, my day shift nurse, Olivia, made this frustrating experience a lot more tolerable. She had such a soft, sweet nature about her and an empathetic heart that made me feel so seen. I really enjoyed all our conversations. Talking to her always kept me feeling optimistic and positive and less guilty about my internal battle. While I was waiting for my AFO boot, I was really worried about my foot being stuck in a dropped position while I was in bed, as it made me think that the longer it was stuck like this, the longer my recovery would be. On her own initiative, she came up with a way to help keep my foot at a 90-degree angle, which helped significantly. She truly has no idea what that did for my anxiety and mental state, either. I am now 6 weeks postpartum, still recovering, with lots of PT, and learning how to walk again. I still think about her so much since then and have told many people how much she helped me. I believe that, given how long it took to finally get the boot, Olivia’s innovative way of thinking really did speed up my recovery time frame and helped me regain feeling and mobility. She made me feel very comfortable, seen, and taken care of. I am grateful she was determined and really advocating for me. Beyond being a great nurse, she truly is a genuine person.
I was in the hospital for multiple days, waiting to see a neurologist. During that time, my day shift nurse, Olivia, made this frustrating experience a lot more tolerable. She had such a soft, sweet nature about her and an empathetic heart that made me feel so seen. I really enjoyed all our conversations. Talking to her always kept me feeling optimistic and positive and less guilty about my internal battle. While I was waiting for my AFO boot, I was really worried about my foot being stuck in a dropped position while I was in bed, as it made me think that the longer it was stuck like this, the longer my recovery would be. On her own initiative, she came up with a way to help keep my foot at a 90-degree angle, which helped significantly. She truly has no idea what that did for my anxiety and mental state, either. I am now 6 weeks postpartum, still recovering, with lots of PT, and learning how to walk again. I still think about her so much since then and have told many people how much she helped me. I believe that, given how long it took to finally get the boot, Olivia’s innovative way of thinking really did speed up my recovery time frame and helped me regain feeling and mobility. She made me feel very comfortable, seen, and taken care of. I am grateful she was determined and really advocating for me. Beyond being a great nurse, she truly is a genuine person.