‘Hero’ nurse says arranging a family call gave coronavirus patient ‘a reason to fight’
A man in California is giving thanks to a “hero nurse” who he says facilitated a live-saving conversation between him and his sick mother. Now, the family is calling the nurse their “angel.”
Will Wagner hadn’t seen his mom, Mila, often referred to as Emily, for a month, since she had finished cancer treatment in a hospital and was transferred to a rehabilitation center which was ultimately closed to visitors as a result of the coronavirus. But during the last days of her three-week rehabilitation, Wagner says he was shocked to hear that his mother had contracted the illness.
“She was scheduled to go home on April 2nd. On April 1st, I got woken up by a doctor's call from her rehab. Doctor told me that she had COVID-19. It sounded surreal,” Wagner tells Yahoo Life. “On April 2nd I got woken up again, I was told that my mom had a fever and she was rushed to the hospital.”
During Mila’s time in the hospital, where she once again wasn’t able to have visitors, Wagner, his wife and two children struggled with the fact that they couldn’t communicate directly with their mom and grandmother. “Several times I inquired if nurses could help me to facilitate a video call with my mom, but they were saying that I need to request an iPad from a doctor,” Wagner explains. He had to find a quicker way around that once he received an update, on April 12th, that Mila’s health was deteriorating.
“Her temperature stayed at 104 and that she's not going to make it. [The doctor] suggested that I visit her ASAP. He said that they are going to make an exception and allow me to visit my mom. I spoke to my wife, and she was extremely concerned for our family,” Wagner recalls. “I called back to the hospital and asked a social worker if they could help me to have a video call with my mom, but they were not very helpful. We were heartbroken as we were unable to see her at the hospital — fearing we may never see her again.”
It was then that Wagner got in touch with Mila’s resource nurse for the day, Audrey, who chose not to share her last name for privacy reasons. She tells Yahoo Life that she had heard another nurse on the phone with Wagner and realized how desperate he was to speak with his mother, despite the obstacles set by the hospital’s strict policies.
“Maintaining a safe environment for the staff can be difficult. We need to don/doff PPE the appropriate way so as not to accidentally cross-contaminate and spread the virus. It became unsafe to have any visitors, because you need proper training in order to go in and out of the patients’ rooms. Family members would call often to check on family members, but it is difficult to speak with them at times, because if we are in a patient room, we cannot touch our phones and contaminate them,” Audrey explains. “We have a few iPads that we give [patients] to FaceTime with their families. The other party has to have an iPhone, however, or it doesn't work.”
Fortunately for Wagner, who doesn’t have a FaceTime compatible device, Audrey has a Samsung that would enable a WhatsApp video call between the two. She was determined to make it work.
“I wrapped my phone in a Ziplock back, put on my PPE and walked in the room. [Mila] didn't look great and I assessed her. I called her son, and held the phone up so that he could see her face and talk to her,” Audrey says. “I updated him on her status, and let him talk to his mother who that day didn't open her eyes or acknowledge that he was talking to her. He spoke so sweetly to his mother in Russian.”
Wagner says that he told his mother “how much we love her,” despite her being unable to respond back. And although he thought that it was goodbye, Audrey went to see Mila the next day where she was pleasantly surprised to see that the patient had made progress.
“She had pulled through the night and looked way better and had even eaten a little. She was [not feverish], her oxygenation was better and her lungs sounded clearer,” Audrey says. “I called [Wagner] again and told him the good news. His kids were there and I was able to see them and speak with them as well. I held up the phone so that they could talk to their grandma and tell her that they loved her. I teared up a little hearing their sweet little voices.”
Wagner called the few days of his mother’s health scare a “rollercoaster,” and now refers to Audrey as “our angel,” as his mom continues to make improvements while being able to see her children and grandchildren via video calls facilitated by the nurse. “I believe that our communication, the kids and I, with our mom and grandma, inspired her to persevere in her fight with COVID-19 to stay alive,” he says.
Audrey also believes that communication with loved ones can be a massive help to patients. “It is important to a patient’s healing to stay connected to the ones that they love and give them a reason to fight,” she says. “I want to advocate for my patients and ensure that they are getting the care they need, not only physically, but emotionally.”
Now, Wagner is sharing his story in order to encourage people to “treasure doctors and nurses like Audrey who are risking their lives and stay kind, positive and upbeat during this crisis.” His 12-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son even drew a thank you card for the nurse, writing, “Nurses like you are precious and few!”
“I cried when I saw the picture they drew for me. It was the cutest letter I had ever received,” Audrey says. “It made me feel very connected with the family and the patient. Unfortunately, often times, we nurses are very disrespected, and we have had to deal with abuse, verbal and physical, on the job. Since this pandemic started, we have seen an outpouring of love, support, and gifts from the public. It is so appreciated, and makes us feel supported during this scary time.”
Audrey adds, “Being a part of this experience reminds me of why I got into nursing in the first place. Giving someone a chance to talk with their loved one while they are fighting for their life changes you.”
And although she greatly appreciates the card from the Wagner family, Audrey suggests that others can show support for nurses simply by staying home. “Self-isolation is working. If a lot of people get infected all at the same time, nurses and hospital staff will be completely overwhelmed,” she says. “Little letters and tokens of gratitude really do go a long way for us.”
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC’s and WHO’s resource guides.
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