Justina Yuen
September 2025
Justina
Yuen
,
BSN, RN, CCRN
8 North, Surgical Step-down Unit
NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center
New York
,
NY
United States
Justina did everything possible to take care of my mother and to take care of my partner and me in that process.
After spending over 12 hours in the emergency room at Weill Cornell NY Presbyterian, we were finally transferred to a shared room upstairs. Justina was the nurse who was assigned to the room and to my 88-year-old mother. My mom was not in good shape, and in fact, died about 30 hours later. And despite that sounding like a terrible story, I could not have been luckier. Justina was perfect through that process. I made a decision to pursue comfort care for my mother, which, in essence, was the care that she needed in order to make her transition as comfortable as possible.
Justina did everything possible to take care of my mother and to take care of my partner and me in that process. She carefully watched my mom’s breathing for signs of discomfort and adjusted morphine levels whenever necessary. She and the team were able to figure out how to make that room private so that my partner and I could be there as my mom passed. They even brought in a cot so we could nap next to her for her final hours. And the team picked up on the fact that my partner and I are in a same sex relationship. No questions asked. One bed. Aromatherapy, too.
At about 4:30 in the morning, Justina woke us to say that it looked like my mother was having a little bit more discomfort and that we could be approaching the end. I stood by my mom’s side as Justina administered another dose of morphine. A few minutes later, my mom took her last breath. Again, with me by her side. After my mom died, Justina intuitively had the good sense to know how to take care of us and my mother’s body. All with dignity, quiet, focused attention. She had a great sense of timing. She let us be slow. She explained the next steps so carefully. Justina was on top of all of it. With care, wisdom, and maybe most importantly, emotional intelligence. I’m so very grateful to her. I would imagine that more often than not, the award goes to people who are able to save lives. In this case, I’m recommending her not for that reason, but for helping my mom to pass in comfort and surrounded with care. She made that experience a loving one. A dignified one. I’m very, very grateful.
Justina did everything possible to take care of my mother and to take care of my partner and me in that process. She carefully watched my mom’s breathing for signs of discomfort and adjusted morphine levels whenever necessary. She and the team were able to figure out how to make that room private so that my partner and I could be there as my mom passed. They even brought in a cot so we could nap next to her for her final hours. And the team picked up on the fact that my partner and I are in a same sex relationship. No questions asked. One bed. Aromatherapy, too.
At about 4:30 in the morning, Justina woke us to say that it looked like my mother was having a little bit more discomfort and that we could be approaching the end. I stood by my mom’s side as Justina administered another dose of morphine. A few minutes later, my mom took her last breath. Again, with me by her side. After my mom died, Justina intuitively had the good sense to know how to take care of us and my mother’s body. All with dignity, quiet, focused attention. She had a great sense of timing. She let us be slow. She explained the next steps so carefully. Justina was on top of all of it. With care, wisdom, and maybe most importantly, emotional intelligence. I’m so very grateful to her. I would imagine that more often than not, the award goes to people who are able to save lives. In this case, I’m recommending her not for that reason, but for helping my mom to pass in comfort and surrounded with care. She made that experience a loving one. A dignified one. I’m very, very grateful.