Steven W Kliebenstein
May 2025
Steven W
Kliebenstein
,
RN
Medical Surgical and Emergency Room
Grant Regional Health Center
Lancaster
,
WI
United States
Whenever I mention the possibility of having to take her in to be seen, I no longer hear “what are they going to do? Will it hurt?”. Now I hear, “Is Steven working? Will he be my nurse?”
Six years ago, my daughter was diagnosed with autism. Life as I knew it would never be the same. Along with that came a lot of obstacles that we would soon learn how to navigate in this new world of ours. I dreaded doctor appointments and checkups because of her intense fear of them. She used to scream, kick, and not hold still to let anyone near her, amongst many other things. Standing on a scale to get her weight was so incredibly difficult. Her Dad would have to hold her as tightly as he could, step on the scale with her in his arms, step off, and then weigh himself to get the most accurate reading. Checking her ears, getting her blood pressure, or even the sight of a nurse/doctor was traumatizing to her. She slowly grew out of some of those things, but the anxiety is always still there.
Whenever I take her in, I’m constantly wondering in the back of my head, “Is this it? Is this going to be the time that a procedure, whether small or large, is going to send us back to square one?”. Over Christmas break in 2024, she started complaining of a sore throat. I finally caved and took her to walk-in care. I knew there was no way of getting around a throat culture to make sure it wasn’t strep, but I hoped for the best.
Steven greeted us in the waiting room. I could already tell she trusted him by watching his interaction with her. He got a height, weight, and vitals with no problems. Then came the strep test. Steven explained everything step by step from the very start. She was very apprehensive, but again, I could tell that he gained her trust, which is very important for everyone of all ages, but especially those with special needs. Before we knew it, he was done swabbing her.
Unfortunately, it came back positive, and the doctor also noticed an abscess. Part of her aftercare plan included a follow-up with an ENT to make sure the abscess didn’t need to be drained and was going away. Not only did Steven make the appointment, but he also took an extra step of checking the nursing schedule to make sure it wasn’t made on a day that I had to work.
As a single Mom, that meant the world to me. It was one less thing that I had to worry about while my daughter was already not feeling well. His patience and calm demeanor made our visit better than we ever could have thought possible. Little did he know by doing his job that day that he would end up with such a big fan.
Whenever I mention the possibility of having to take her in to be seen, I no longer hear “what are they going to do? Will it hurt?”. Now I hear, “Is Steven working? Will he be my nurse?”. It’s like a breath of fresh air. I’d say Steven went above and beyond to make my daughter’s visit less scary, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. It’s just the type of nurse/person he obviously is. Healthcare is definitely his calling, and GRHC is lucky to have him!
Whenever I take her in, I’m constantly wondering in the back of my head, “Is this it? Is this going to be the time that a procedure, whether small or large, is going to send us back to square one?”. Over Christmas break in 2024, she started complaining of a sore throat. I finally caved and took her to walk-in care. I knew there was no way of getting around a throat culture to make sure it wasn’t strep, but I hoped for the best.
Steven greeted us in the waiting room. I could already tell she trusted him by watching his interaction with her. He got a height, weight, and vitals with no problems. Then came the strep test. Steven explained everything step by step from the very start. She was very apprehensive, but again, I could tell that he gained her trust, which is very important for everyone of all ages, but especially those with special needs. Before we knew it, he was done swabbing her.
Unfortunately, it came back positive, and the doctor also noticed an abscess. Part of her aftercare plan included a follow-up with an ENT to make sure the abscess didn’t need to be drained and was going away. Not only did Steven make the appointment, but he also took an extra step of checking the nursing schedule to make sure it wasn’t made on a day that I had to work.
As a single Mom, that meant the world to me. It was one less thing that I had to worry about while my daughter was already not feeling well. His patience and calm demeanor made our visit better than we ever could have thought possible. Little did he know by doing his job that day that he would end up with such a big fan.
Whenever I mention the possibility of having to take her in to be seen, I no longer hear “what are they going to do? Will it hurt?”. Now I hear, “Is Steven working? Will he be my nurse?”. It’s like a breath of fresh air. I’d say Steven went above and beyond to make my daughter’s visit less scary, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. It’s just the type of nurse/person he obviously is. Healthcare is definitely his calling, and GRHC is lucky to have him!