I began to feel extremely ill while I was at the ED waiting for my son to be admitted. I pushed the call button and told his nurse that I was feeling very sick. Once she came, she said she could take my vitals. I told her I had gone septic before, and what I was experiencing at that moment was the same as before. I was shaking uncontrollably, my teeth were chattering, my whole body ached, and my head felt like it was going to explode.

My vital signs did not show any “red flags”; however, my heart rate was elevated. She said I would need to go to the ER if I wanted confirmation. In excruciating pain, I texted my husband, telling him that something wasn't right and that he needed to hurry to the hospital. He arrived just as we were moved to my son's room in Pediatrics, and I still felt violently ill. I could barely hold it together, and when we finally got to his room, his nurse noticed that I wasn't feeling well. I said I felt awful. She quickly took my vitals and said you must get to the ED now! She said my heart rate was high and I had a fever. She called to get me a wheelchair, and I was taken to the ER.

My husband and son stayed behind in Pediatrics for his care. Once I got through triage, I learned that my heart rate was 145. I told them I had been septic before, and it feels exactly the same way this time. They quickly got me into a room, started IVs, and began treatment. My son's nurse not only took the time to notice and address my concerns about feeling sick, but she also treated my son with such great care that my husband shared that she treated him as if he were her own child. He had been poked over 10 times to get an IV, and his nurse intervened because of how traumatizing the whole morning was for my son. This made me feel so much better about being away from him while I was on the other side of the hospital.

I ended up being admitted that night and stayed 3 nights. My nurse was Cassie Mecham. She is an amazing nurse who takes the time to notice the little things. She went above her normal duties to care for me. She was present, she listened, and she did what she said she was going to do. There wasn't anything that seemed like an inconvenience or interruption to what else she was doing. This was huge for me as I was in a lot of pain and got itchy from the medications. I knew I could call for her. I felt like she truly cared about how comfortable I was. Cassie cares about her patients. I could not let my visit go unrecognized because the care my son and I received from Cassie was remarkable, and I'm alive today because of her.