Kandace B Summerlin
December 2025
Kandace B
Summerlin
,
RN
NSICU
UNC Hospitals
Chapel Hill
,
NC
United States
Kandace truly demonstrated that when nurses fiercely advocate for their patients, Christmas miracles can happen!
Watching Kandace at work was the best display of patient advocacy that I've ever seen. On Christmas Eve, her patient had discharge orders placed first thing in the morning. The patient was talking about how excited she was to get home for Christmas so she could cook for her family. She started looking up recipes to cook once she was home. Transportation was becoming an issue as the patient was wheelchair bound and needed a specialized vehicle to accommodate that need. Kandace was in an Epic chat with the whole care team, including case managers, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, to facilitate this discharge.
As the day progressed, there were a lot of miscommunications between the case management and the team. Kandace clarified many times whether or not the discharge would indeed be possible that day. By 3 pm, Kandace found out that a BLS truck would be needed to transport the patient because of her wheelchair needs. The BLS truck wouldn't be available until the day after Christmas. The simplest answer would have just been to have the patient wait to be discharged home. Kandace would not take this as an answer. She worked effortlessly to communicate with the patient, her husband, and the care team.
Kandace cleared it with the team so the patient could be transported home in a taxi. The patient had all the resources she needed at home; she just needed to get there. Kandace coordinated with case management to get the taxi voucher and told her husband that she was going to be home for Christmas. By the time all this had been arranged, it was 6:55 pm, at the very end of Kandace's shift. As Kandace wheeled the patient out of the unit, we put a Santa hat on her head and serenaded her with Christmas songs as she left the unit. Kandace and an NA helped her into the taxi, and the patient started crying and said, "This is the best Christmas ever!" Kandace stayed past 7 pm to get this patient home for Christmas. Kandace truly demonstrated that when nurses fiercely advocate for their patients, Christmas miracles can happen!
As the day progressed, there were a lot of miscommunications between the case management and the team. Kandace clarified many times whether or not the discharge would indeed be possible that day. By 3 pm, Kandace found out that a BLS truck would be needed to transport the patient because of her wheelchair needs. The BLS truck wouldn't be available until the day after Christmas. The simplest answer would have just been to have the patient wait to be discharged home. Kandace would not take this as an answer. She worked effortlessly to communicate with the patient, her husband, and the care team.
Kandace cleared it with the team so the patient could be transported home in a taxi. The patient had all the resources she needed at home; she just needed to get there. Kandace coordinated with case management to get the taxi voucher and told her husband that she was going to be home for Christmas. By the time all this had been arranged, it was 6:55 pm, at the very end of Kandace's shift. As Kandace wheeled the patient out of the unit, we put a Santa hat on her head and serenaded her with Christmas songs as she left the unit. Kandace and an NA helped her into the taxi, and the patient started crying and said, "This is the best Christmas ever!" Kandace stayed past 7 pm to get this patient home for Christmas. Kandace truly demonstrated that when nurses fiercely advocate for their patients, Christmas miracles can happen!