Over the last 30 days, our service, cardiothoracic surgery, had a very sad case, cardiac arrest caused by cardiac tamponade in a patient who was only post-op day 2. He required VA Ecmo for four days, and then came the time we had to wake him up and see if neurologically had he survived. He was transferred to the cardiac ICU for further long-term care, and unfortunately, he never regained consciousness. The nursing team in our cardiac ICU not only bonded with the wife but also got very close with the patient and could tell when he was uncomfortable and suffering. If not for Colleen recognizing that something had changed, and he was no longer comfortable, and that it was likely a transition to the end of life, he may not have passed as comfortably.

The neurophysician had done a thorough workup and an assessment regarding Prognosis. The team all felt comfortable with this prognosis. It was sad, disappointing, and very hard to understand why someone so young who got care so quickly wouldn’t wake up and have a meaningful recovery. Colleen had this patient on his last day of life, and she not only advocated for his comfort and to ease his suffering, but she also talked to him and stayed present. Colleen cares so deeply and so hard that I caught her crying a few times that day. Nursing is not easy, fun, or enjoyable some days. Sometimes we’re with our patients when their family is not or cannot be. From the CT Surgery team and me, we are so thankful to have nurses like Colleen taking care of our patients. Your heart, skills, and intelligence just make you so valuable to our patients and families. Keep being the most amazing nurse, and know that your care and the pouring of your heart do not go unnoticed.