Being in the hospital over Christmas is rough. Especially if you have a child under 10 and knowing this may very well be your last Christmas together makes it almost unbearable.

Recently, we had a patient in the IMC portion of PCU that was living this terrible scenario. Riddled with cancer and knowing that they were inching closer to needing to move to CCU, the patient was struggling. Regan took time to spend with the patient and provided comfort during the patient’s darkest hour. When the patient perked up for a minute and decided they wanted a chocolate milkshake, Regan made it happen. With her own money, Regan bought the patient a chocolate milkshake and the patient’s child a soda slushie as a special treat. Regan’s act of kindness touched the patient and her family. This may well have been the last memorable event that the child and their parent shared together as the next day, the patient deteriorated and was placed on a mechanical ventilator.