Rosemary Ramirez
September 2017
Rosemary
Ramirez 3
,
RN
Medical ICU
Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas
Austin
,
TX
United States

 

 

 

My mom had her third stroke in the span of six months, and this one was by far the worst. Mom was nonverbal and unable to move the entire left side of her body. When we were transferred from the ER to the ICU, the whole experience became very real. The first time I spoke to Rosemary, it was 8 am, and she was calling me for consent to put my mom on a ventilator. She shared with me that Mom could still breathe on her own, but she was struggling, and they would like to let her rest for a bit.
When I arrived to see my mom, I was in shock and so disoriented. Rosemary floated in with this jovial glow about her. She introduced herself and quickly related to us about kids and parenthood. I didn't even know we were allowed to talk to the nurses about normal life things. Rosemary was our translator for all of the doctor jargon and our personal gladiator. Her power to bring positivity and laughter to us in this time of tremendous anguish was absolutely astounding. My mom worked in the ER for fifteen years, so I grew up in the healthcare industry, and I can say with unwavering certainty that Rosemary is the best nurse I have had the pleasure of meeting.
In addition to her warm caring nature, she is clever and innovative. We were having a lumbar puncture done on Mom. This meant bringing a large x-ray machine up to Mom's room. Rosemary was the one who thought to take advantage of that x-ray machine being in the room to insert her nasal feeding tube. Initially, it was going to have to be done blind because Mom couldn't be moved from her room. Rosemary got it all approved by the team and killed two birds with one super accurate x-ray stone!
I think for me the most significant gift Rosemary gave my family was this piece of wisdom. After letting us vent a bit about a physician, she shared some wisdom imparted to her by a nursing mentor. She said, "Everyone has a gift, and that doctor's gift is in his hands, not in his voice. So even though he may not be your favorite, you should try to value him for the gift he has already given you." Rosemary was right, his gift is in his hands. Thank you, Rosemary, for your care and compassion.
Note: This is Rosemary's 3rd DAISY Award!