I want to thank my hospital nurse and share my story about how special this nurse is. My father was being transported from another hospital to The University of Kansas Health System. We were advised he was in extremely poor condition and that they didn’t have the resources/talent to assist him. Upon arriving at the health system, he was in the worst shape. He was 40-50lbs lighter, dehydrated, frail, blood sugar over 540, bed sores, disoriented, and barely hanging on to life. He was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and seemed like he wasn’t going to make it through the night. In the ICU, this nurse was assigned to him on several days/nights. I remembered being impressed by their extensive knowledge and how they were patient and happy to explain things to me, so I could understand some of the terminology being used. Every 45 minutes to an hour, this nurse was consistently coming to check on my father. They even ensured I was ok by offering water, blankets, bed linens, asking if I had any questions, etc. You could tell in this nurse’s demeanor that they enjoyed helping others. They never seemed rushed, and we didn’t feel like a “number” that they needed to visit to check off their list of duties. After six days, my father was coherent and strong enough to move out of the ICU. This was a result of the entire ICU staff and this special nurse. I thanked this special nurse for everything they did to ensure my father was cared for.
After a week of being out of the ICU, my father got really irritated and frustrated with his circumstances and began to be difficult. He had a tough time trying to communicate with the nurses, and he asked me several times for this one special nurse who took care of him in the ICU. He was grumpy, and I knew he was tired from being poked and turned constantly. The nurses tried their best to do some treatment, but my father would turn them down, and eventually he ended up back in the ICU. This time around, he had so much phlegm in his throat that you could barely hear him. Being suctioned from this nose was painful and scared him, so he declined each time they tried to do this. Because you couldn’t hear what he was trying to say, he couldn’t relay how he was feeling but could see in his face that something was wrong. The nurses tried to figure it out with no avail, and you could see in my father’s face the look of sadness and defeat. This special nurse was again assigned to him. They realized he couldn’t speak but knew he was trying to relay information to them. They took the time to continue to ask a list of questions until they figured out what my father was trying to relay. This nurse was so gentle and patient, asking a series of questions: “G, are you in pain? Are you cold? Are you uncomfortable? Are you dizzy? Do we need to adjust your bed? Do you need wedges? Would you like to roll on your side? Do you need the TV channel changed?” You could see each time they asked a question that my father’s eyes brightened with each one because he knew this nurse was going to figure out what he needed…AND HE DID! This nurse never gave up asking questions and watching my father shake his head yes or no. Potentially over twenty-five questions later, we finally learned the issue thanks to this nurse. They discovered that my father was having problems urinating. This nurse completed a procedure to remove 60-80% of urine, and I have never seen my father look so relieved and at peace. This nurse went beyond the call of duty as an ICU nurse. They have become our favorite nurse. I had stayed the night with my father for 3 weeks, and when I learned this nurse was his nurse for the day, I felt a sense of relief because I was confident that my father would receive the ultimate care. This brought such peace of mind because looking after a loved one while also trying to balance life can be mentally and physically draining. Superheroes do not just exist in cartoons and Marvel movies. I had watched one for the 3 weeks my father was in the ICU. You would never be able to guess by a single glance. Their “Clark Kent” disguise had us all fooled. This nurse does not let challenges deter him and provides elite care in a single bound! It’s a bird…it’s a plane…No, it’s “Super Mayson.” Please recognize Mayson for being our superhero; my entire family remains grateful that KU has this superhero working there.