The ICU team
May 2025
The ICU team
ICU
Blanchard Valley Hopsital
Findlay
,
OH
United States
Katelyn Hildebrand, RN
Brandy Sterling, RN
Sophie Hall, RN
Kenna Schmel, RN
Brianna Overton, RN
Brandy Sterling, RN
Sophie Hall, RN
Kenna Schmel, RN
Brianna Overton, RN
One of Florence Nightingale's quotes on the compassionate nature of nursing is, "A nurse is not what you do. A nurse is one who opens the eyes of a newborn and gently closes the eyes of a dying man." I am reaching out to nominate 2 individuals, Katelyn Hildebrand, RN, and Brandy Sterling, RN, and the entire ICU team for their compassionate care and patience with my endearing grandmother as she took her last breaths.
My grandmother was 87 years old and had dedicated her entire life to the service of others, both inside the hospital and outside. She was a nurse here at Blanchard Valley Hospital for many years, and the compassionate care that was bestowed upon her as she finalized her call of duty was beyond any appreciation that I could ever put into words. Although we knew that grandma had been ill intermittently, her 8 children, 33 grandchildren, and 60 great-grandchildren didn't know that her time to be here with us on earth was coming to an end. With that being said, our family comes from many different backgrounds, education levels, and spans from Ohio to Texas and over to Germany.
Katelyn's patience in supporting our family, helping to educate, and the endless answering of questions was not only appreciated but felt deeply by each one of our family members. Brandy and Katelyn made sure that my grandmother was comfortable, sometimes repositioning her multiple times an hour and keeping up with her medications in order to make sure that she was able to have a conversation to say goodbye to each family member who came to see her. Katelyn gave my family the opportunity for closure and the final words of love from my grandmother to each one of us.
To include the rest of the ICU team, my grandmother was in the ICU for 3 nights. With that much direct family, and according to grandma's wishes, she wanted to see everyone that she could before she took our Lord's hand to walk home. This team made that possible. Sometimes, each one of her 8 children was in the room at the same time and was provided pillows, blankets, a hospitality cart, and countless acts of reassurance, love, and compassion. Being a locked unit, each time someone needed to get back to her room, they were buzzed back with a welcomed feeling of compassion.
Having been in isolation, the staff kept the isolation cart full of the proper PPE, at times restocking gowns multiple times in an hour. This nursing staff kept up with emptying the trash, all of the visitors, professionally coordinating the care of my aunt, who became a Code Assist the night grandma passed, and always showed up to answer needs with a smile. It made a difficult situation more than bearable. They gave my grandmother the opportunity to be cared for by professionals radiating the same integrity, compassion, skill, collaboration, innovation, and humor that my grandmother lived for. I could never repay them for completing her life with the care that she gave others, or for giving my family the opportunity to send her off the way she deserved to be. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
My grandmother was 87 years old and had dedicated her entire life to the service of others, both inside the hospital and outside. She was a nurse here at Blanchard Valley Hospital for many years, and the compassionate care that was bestowed upon her as she finalized her call of duty was beyond any appreciation that I could ever put into words. Although we knew that grandma had been ill intermittently, her 8 children, 33 grandchildren, and 60 great-grandchildren didn't know that her time to be here with us on earth was coming to an end. With that being said, our family comes from many different backgrounds, education levels, and spans from Ohio to Texas and over to Germany.
Katelyn's patience in supporting our family, helping to educate, and the endless answering of questions was not only appreciated but felt deeply by each one of our family members. Brandy and Katelyn made sure that my grandmother was comfortable, sometimes repositioning her multiple times an hour and keeping up with her medications in order to make sure that she was able to have a conversation to say goodbye to each family member who came to see her. Katelyn gave my family the opportunity for closure and the final words of love from my grandmother to each one of us.
To include the rest of the ICU team, my grandmother was in the ICU for 3 nights. With that much direct family, and according to grandma's wishes, she wanted to see everyone that she could before she took our Lord's hand to walk home. This team made that possible. Sometimes, each one of her 8 children was in the room at the same time and was provided pillows, blankets, a hospitality cart, and countless acts of reassurance, love, and compassion. Being a locked unit, each time someone needed to get back to her room, they were buzzed back with a welcomed feeling of compassion.
Having been in isolation, the staff kept the isolation cart full of the proper PPE, at times restocking gowns multiple times in an hour. This nursing staff kept up with emptying the trash, all of the visitors, professionally coordinating the care of my aunt, who became a Code Assist the night grandma passed, and always showed up to answer needs with a smile. It made a difficult situation more than bearable. They gave my grandmother the opportunity to be cared for by professionals radiating the same integrity, compassion, skill, collaboration, innovation, and humor that my grandmother lived for. I could never repay them for completing her life with the care that she gave others, or for giving my family the opportunity to send her off the way she deserved to be. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.