All nurses have stories of patients they’ll never forget. “So many patients have left a mark on me,” says Ryan Anne Pishock, a primary-care nurse at Family Practice of Jeffersonville.
“Forming a bond with the patient is the key to giving them the best care possible,” adds Meghan Maguire, a pediatric nurse with Main Line Health.
Nurses get us through some of our worst times—but that doesn’t mean all the memories are bad. Here, some of our Top Nurses share their stories.
Recently, a new patient came to our practice, and we instantly connected. But I knew immediately that something was off. After an extensive workup, she was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer. She openly shared that she was scared, and apologizing to her that this was her fate was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Two months after our first visit, her family invited me to her home to see her. It just happened to be the day before she passed. They told stories of her life. We laughed a lot. We also cried. I’ll never forget her.
—Ryan Anne Pishock, Primary Care
In 2010, my daughter, Sienna, was born prematurely and passed away 16 days later in the NICU. For years, I had difficulty caring for patients who had these tremendous losses. As time went on, I understood I needed to be able to somehow comfort and care for these mothers. Recently, I cared for a woman who had a loss at 12 weeks gestation. I shared my story about Sienna’s passing and the emotions through that journey of grief, not even knowing if it was the right thing to do. Weeks later, I received a letter and a DAISY nomination from the patient.
—Michelle Salvi, Post Anesthesia Care Unit
A two-week-old baby had to stay in our unit for 21 days. I had her every shift I worked while she was here. Her parents were so incredible, and we spent so much time together. They felt like our family. She ended up being discharged on one of my days off, but there was no way I was going to miss seeing them off. We had a discharge hallway clap sendoff. I sometimes run into them—and they know I’ll never forget them.
—Meghan Maguire, Pediatrics
One patient I’ll never forget is a single mom who’s a Type 1 diabetic. For 10 years, she struggled to pay for her insulin and support her all-star son’s ice hockey dreams. Focusing on her son’s needs, she was skipping medications, reusing supplies and canceling appointments. Despite trying to do the right things, her diabetes was out of control, her mental health was worsening, and she was at risk for even worse life-threatening complications. I spent several nights researching tons of assistance programs until I found one. With proper completion of the forms, her basal and mealtime insulin coverage would be paid for. When I called her to share the good news, she screamed into the phone. Through tears of joy, she said, “You’re the one person who showed up for me.”
—Crystal Santoro, Outpatient/Ambulatory Care
I vividly remember the first acutely critically ill patient I cared for off orientation. He was a young father who’d become severely septic due to a bowel obstruction. He was so severely ill, and I remember being so overwhelmed with all that was going on. He and I survived that day together, and I was able to care for him for the next several weeks, getting to know him and his family quite well over that time.”
—Michael Martin, Quality & Safety
During the Covid pandemic, one gentleman was in isolation, scared out of his wits and developed an arrhythmia. He went home but was back in the ER within a week with recurrent symptoms. This time, he needed to be shocked, and we were able to get him into a procedure quickly. It turns out he lives around the corner from me, and he baked me a cheesecake to show me his appreciation. I brought it to a house party, and the demand for his cheesecakes increased. Now he bakes so many he has his own website.
—Janeen Franz, Cardiology
I came from the critical-care setting, where there’s usually a team to care for patients. In my first few years as a school nurse, I formed a unique and supportive bond with my first diabetic student and her family. Together, we helped each other adjust to our new roles. She went on to become a nurse herself—and she made my day 13 years later when she thanked me for my role way back when.
—Gina Capozzoli, Student Health Services (K-12)
There was a patient who was being held in the ER because he didn’t meet requirements for admission. He needed hospice placement at a facility, which would take several days. He was riddled with cancer and was a pretty tough patient to deal with. I told his nurse to call me whenever he needed anything and that another coworker and I would take full responsibility for his care. I spent lots of quality time getting to know this gentleman, and we really formed a bond. I met his family, and he couldn’t stop talking about how much it cheered him up to have someone who cared so much. Eventually, he was discharged, and we received a call a week later from his brother saying he’d passed away.
—Jessica Strickland, Emergency/Trauma
I had a patient who came in for a knee replacement and developed complications. When she’d start to talk about her current situation, tears would fill her eyes before she tried to change the subject, saying, “Nobody wants to see me cry.” She did this often. One day, I sat down, took her hand and told her to cry. We sat there while she released all the fear and worry she was holding. A few weeks later, I received a phone call from her thanking me.
—Kelly Amoroso, Nurse Manager
I recently had a patient who was admitted with a right hip fracture. She was 96 years old and had an old-fashioned Hollywood name I loved to say. Every time I went to her room, I’d always sing the song “Bette Davis Eyes.” After surgery, she became confused and agitated. I spoke to her calmly, reorienting her to where she was and why she was here. And I’d always sing our song.
—O’Shell Higgins, Medical/Surgical
There’s one lady who still brings tears to my eyes. She was a frequent flier at Taylor Hospital due to her progressive end-stage COPD diagnosis. My first close personal encounter with her was at 6:45 a.m. during a change of shift. She couldn’t breathe and went into a fullblown panic attack. I called respiratory, and they said they’d be right up. That wasn’t fast enough for her. So I had a coworker fan her with a folder while I rubbed her back until respiratory came. She trusted me. I knew what she needed and how to make her happy.
—Katelyn McHugh, Inpatient
During my time as a clinical instructor, I encountered a sophomore nursing student who, despite her passion and enthusiasm, struggled with the rigorous curriculum and faced challenges in her clinical performance. Recognizing her potential and dedication, I stayed late after clinical sessions to help her review for tests and spent extra time with her during clinical hours to ensure she grasped the lessons more effectively. Ten years later, I had a heartwarming encounter while visiting my father in the hospital. That same student was now his nurse.
—Allison Angelucci, Nursing School Educator
