While driving, Shellisa (Shelly) noticed from her car a young man outside walking, limping, and falling over at the intersection. His friends were holding him up and helping him across the street. She immediately pulled over in the intersection and got out of her car to check on him. After assessing him and asking him if he was ok, she noticed he had shattered teeth with tooth fragments in his mouth, had injured his jaw, and was quite pale. His friends told her he had previously fainted while walking, and they were helping him. She told him she was a nurse and was calling EMS. She asked him to stay seated even though the young man kept insisting that she did not need to and he wanted to go home, but Shelly did not take no for an answer.

He was eventually taken to the emergency department and discharged later that day. On Sunday, his mother’s friend insisted that she take him to get reassessed this time at JDCH. While walking to the ER, this young man fainted again in the parking lot and was later admitted to the ICU because his hemoglobin was noted to be 6g/dL. On Monday, while working in pre-op, Shelly goes into her new patient’s room and is reunited with the young man she helped in the street. What are the odds? He was now in pre-op, getting ready to have an EGD. The young man immediately recognized Shelly and was so grateful for her help in saving his life. He apologized for being so stubborn that day. His parents were so happy to meet the nurse who helped save their son and were extremely grateful to Shelly. They told her everything that happened to him following the time EMS picked him up. They hugged, took pictures, and shared a happy moment. Shelly’s ability to recognize a person in distress, act without hesitation, and provide comfort both inside and outside the hospital walls exemplifies what nursing is all about. She is compassionate, vigilant, and truly dedicated to caring for others.