Savannah Richards
September 2022
Savannah
Richards
,
RN
MICU
Mount Carmel East
Columbus
,
OH
United States

 

 

 

What impressed me so much about Savannah were so many little things. She spoke to L as if she were awake.
Our daughter, L, was admitted to the Mt. Carmel ICU on Sunday morning. Virtually all of the nurses, doctors, technicians, and staff were extremely kind, generous, compassionate, and considerate, but I have to say that Savannah, in particular, holds a special place in my heart. Our daughter was transported to the ER due to an accidental overdose exposure to Fentanyl. Her heart stopped 3 times and was restarted with 3 doses of Narcan, but our precious, beautiful 29-year-old girl never regained consciousness.

What impressed me so much about Savannah were so many little things. She spoke to L as if she were awake. She always told L anything she was about to do, whether swabbing her mouth, checking her tubes, or any little thing. She cared for our daughter with such gentleness, respecting her dignity and humanity. My favorite memory is when Savannah and another nurse invited me to participate in bathing L and washing/combing out her hair. By that time, all the electrodes had been removed from her forehead and scalp, leaving behind a lot of gummy residue. It took a while to comb most of the sticky bits out of her hair, but we were able to take our time. It was very special for me to get to have that intimate, hands-on contact with my daughter while she was still alive.

L became an organ donor on Saturday, and it was incredible to see the turnout of staff joining our family and friends for her honor walk. Their support helped make this dark and unbearable time in our lives just a little more bearable. We would also like to thank and acknowledge all nurses who gave wonderful care to our darling girl.

P.S. I also want to thank Savannah for her very kind note and the small prayer book she gave us. We deeply appreciate her thoughtfulness!