Samantha E Jackson
December 2024
Samantha E
Jackson
,
BSN, RN
NICU
UK HealthCare
Lexington
,
KY
United States
Samantha was a light to this family during their darkest hour. She is an outstanding example of what it means to be a bedside nurse.
In our unit, sudden tragedies involving patients' parents rarely happen. Especially in the instance of a mom tragically losing her life during her otherwise benign and normal pregnancy and labor. In the blink of an eye, everything changed for this particular family as the baby was crash sectioned as life-saving measures were being performed on mom, who went into sudden cardiac arrest during labor.
Unfortunately, the mother did not survive, and her baby girl was swiftly taken to our NICU, where she was now considered a "cooling" patient due to her traumatic birth. A cooling patient is placed on VEEG for at least 72 hours and on a cooling blanket to protect their body from further damage. Because of this protocol, the baby girl would not be able to be held for at least her first few days of life. From day one of life, Samantha stepped up to care for not only this baby but the baby's family members as well.
As this family grieved not only the loss of a wife, mother, and daughter, but also the grief of not being able to hold and snuggle this sweet girl during this terrible time. Samantha made the decision to primary this baby because she felt like this family needed someone who could not only advocate for the patient, but who could also be a source of comfort for this family while they grieved.
Samantha's compassion was evident day in and day out; every shift she worked, she was there for this family. She laughed and cried right alongside this family as they told countless stories of their family member who passed. She pointed out similarities that the baby shared with mom based on pictures that were shown. You could see on the dad's face that he was at ease when Samantha walked into her shift, and he knew his baby girl was in good hands. Samantha celebrated every milestone with this family as the baby rewarmed, weaned from respiratory support, and began taking bottles.
When this baby was ready to be discharged, Samantha picked up an extra shift so she could be the one to see this family off. Before the baby left, Samantha wrote the dad a letter of encouragement as he was going to embark on the unexpected journey of being a single father of two. In this letter, she expressed how capable she knew he was and how much she could tell he loved his baby girl.
Samantha was a light to this family during their darkest hour. She is an outstanding example of what it means to be a bedside nurse. Our job as a bedside nurse is so much more than passing meds and following the doctor's orders. It's sometimes holding a hand or offering a shoulder to cry on as patients and their families navigate unexpected tragedy and sudden life changes. It's being a family/patient's biggest cheerleader to help them know that whatever life brings them, they can take it head-on. I can truly say that Samantha will forever hold a special place in that family's heart.
Unfortunately, the mother did not survive, and her baby girl was swiftly taken to our NICU, where she was now considered a "cooling" patient due to her traumatic birth. A cooling patient is placed on VEEG for at least 72 hours and on a cooling blanket to protect their body from further damage. Because of this protocol, the baby girl would not be able to be held for at least her first few days of life. From day one of life, Samantha stepped up to care for not only this baby but the baby's family members as well.
As this family grieved not only the loss of a wife, mother, and daughter, but also the grief of not being able to hold and snuggle this sweet girl during this terrible time. Samantha made the decision to primary this baby because she felt like this family needed someone who could not only advocate for the patient, but who could also be a source of comfort for this family while they grieved.
Samantha's compassion was evident day in and day out; every shift she worked, she was there for this family. She laughed and cried right alongside this family as they told countless stories of their family member who passed. She pointed out similarities that the baby shared with mom based on pictures that were shown. You could see on the dad's face that he was at ease when Samantha walked into her shift, and he knew his baby girl was in good hands. Samantha celebrated every milestone with this family as the baby rewarmed, weaned from respiratory support, and began taking bottles.
When this baby was ready to be discharged, Samantha picked up an extra shift so she could be the one to see this family off. Before the baby left, Samantha wrote the dad a letter of encouragement as he was going to embark on the unexpected journey of being a single father of two. In this letter, she expressed how capable she knew he was and how much she could tell he loved his baby girl.
Samantha was a light to this family during their darkest hour. She is an outstanding example of what it means to be a bedside nurse. Our job as a bedside nurse is so much more than passing meds and following the doctor's orders. It's sometimes holding a hand or offering a shoulder to cry on as patients and their families navigate unexpected tragedy and sudden life changes. It's being a family/patient's biggest cheerleader to help them know that whatever life brings them, they can take it head-on. I can truly say that Samantha will forever hold a special place in that family's heart.