Last weekend, 14-year-old Samantha spent yet another day in a hospital, but this visit was different. This time she got to be the nurse, rather than the patient.
Samantha experienced the world of a nurse in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the UW Medical Center 鈥� her dream career, said mother Mary.
Hospital stays characterize Samantha鈥檚 long-winded battle with a heart condition. She has undergone countless surgeries and recovered from two strokes that impaired her speech and motor abilities. Samantha is drawn to nursing, she said, because of all the nurses who have helped make her hospital visits easier and more comforting.
When assistant nurse manager Lori Chudnofsky heard about Samantha鈥檚 wish, she was motivated to make it reality. She and other NICU nurses prepared for a week before Samantha鈥檚 visit.
鈥淲e really appreciate their creativity and willingness to make it work,鈥� said Angela Geiss, regional co-director for Make-A-Wish Washington. 鈥淭his was the first time I鈥檇 ever seen a child have a wish like that, and the nurses did an excellent job making Samantha feel welcomed and loved.鈥�
On her special day, Samantha was taught how to hold and change a baby, and listen to its heart. She took a class that involved activities like journaling and play therapy designed to support siblings of an infant in the NICU.
One highlight for Samantha was bottle-feeding Scarlett, the two-month-old daughter of NICU nurse Britany Sembower. The new mother also showed Samantha how to read the baby鈥檚 vital signs on a computer.
No detail was neglected in making Samantha鈥檚 experience as realistic as possible. She received an ID badge, scrubs and a stethoscope. A welcome sign greeted her at the entrance to the unit and 鈥淩N: Samantha!鈥� was written on the whiteboard in baby Scarlett鈥檚 temporary patient room. The nursing staff even made a potluck lunch because, as Chudnofsky said, 鈥渘urses love potlucks.鈥�
Mary, Samantha鈥檚 aunt Margaret and little sister Juistine tagged along for the day. Their presence made the experience richer for Samantha, and echoed the hospital鈥檚 commitment to patient- and family-centered care, Chudnofsky said.
Samantha鈥檚 visit wasn鈥檛 just a dream come true; it also provided inspiration for the nursing staff.
鈥淥f all the things Samantha could ask for, she wanted to be a nurse. For us nurses, that meant so much,鈥� Chudnofsky said. 鈥淓very work day is just a normal day to us, but actually we鈥檙e living a wish. Samantha鈥檚 presence reminded us how important our jobs are.鈥�
* Samantha鈥檚 last name has been withheld to protect her and her family鈥檚 privacy.
See KING 5鈥檚 coverage of Samantha鈥檚 story: