Chris Popkins
November 2017
Chris
Popkins
,
RN
Medical Intensive Care Unit
Riverside Community Hospital
Riverside
,
CA
United States

 

 

 

Chris had a patient that was near death. The patient had multiple drips, was unstable, and coded several times. Chris related to the husband and not only took care of the patient with compassion and gentle loving hands; he took care of the husband. The three days he worked, the husband requested Chris. Chris brought him food when he went for his own food. The husband said he loved the way Chris took care of the patient because he treated them both like family. The husband recently brought his wife back to the hospital to specifically see Chris. Unfortunately, Chris was not there, so someone took a picture of the couple and left Chris a wonderful letter. In the letter, the husband said how Chris gave him faith that his wife could recover. He said because of Chris, his wife was driving around and living a good life. The intimate relationship built when he was at his most vulnerable was a relationship he will always cherish. The man called Chris to make sure he got his picture and letter. Chris said he uses this patient/family situation with his students to always teach our new upcoming nurses the importance of faith, family support and treating each patient as if they were their own.