I was brought to St. Anthony from the Grandby ER by helicopter late at night on Tues. August 12th. I had just begun to celebrate my 40-year anniversary on vacation with my husband and sons when this emergency happened. I arrived at St. Anthony's in immense pain and extremely frightened, somewhat confused and sad. Zach was the ICU nurse who took care of me that first night and the second as well.
Zach was at my bedside almost continuously throughout the first night. He was compassionate, calming, and extremely attentive to what was happening to both my body and my spirit. He asked questions; he listened, and he took appropriate actions to help me survive and to feel soothed. Plus, he had a sense of humor. I have relied on a sense of humor most of my life to help me through challenging situations. Zach helped me rally that same humor to get me through that first night.
The second night, my condition flared up once again. My husband and sons had gone home that evening to rest, so I was alone in the hospital and quite a bit anxious as I taken down for another CT scan. Once again, Zach's kindness helped me get through that night.
St. Anthony's is an incredible hospital, and so many caregivers came and went into my room. I believe there were at least three teams following me, in addition to speech, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Things did get a little confusing due to my condition.
Zach asked me point blank if I understood everything that was happening in terms of my care and plans that were developing, and I confessed that I did not. So, he made that a goal of my care and communicated that to the rest of the teams! And things did get a bit better. Each person who came in did spend more time with me ensuring I understood what they were saying and what next steps were for me. This outcome was very helpful, and I am thankful to Zach for taking that step.
It is with deep gratitude that I share this story about my caregiver Zach Kitzis.
