• I offer a FREE Initial Consultation
• I offer TeleAdvocacy Service
• I am insured
• My geographical area of practice is Connecticut, Fairfield County

My patient advocate story begins back in 2013. At that time I was a Registered Nurse working in the operating room at an acute care facility. On Thanksgiving of that year, my husband was tragically hit my an SUV while walking on a sidewalk. He was rushed to a trauma center and immediately sent to the operating room because of the blood loss and severity of his injuries. After 12 long hours in the operating room and a long emotional time in the waiting room, the surgical teams came to inform us of what the upcoming days may bring and how critical his condition was at that time. He ultimately received 20 units of blood, had a left lower leg amputation, had a rod put in his right femur fracture and a fractured pelvis. It was in that one moment of time I became the patients wife, I was on the other side of my norm. After 15 years working as a nurse in the operating room, I was in a completely different role. I could not leave his side. I became my husbands advocate during a time when he couldn't make decisions for himself. There were so many doctors, residents, nurses and teams in and out at all hours. No onw was communicating with each other. No one knew what worked well to keep him comfortable, or even what positions made the pain the slightest bit tolerable for him. He ultimately spent 70 days in the hospital and an additional 2 weeks in a rehab facility. I realized during this time that it is so important for patients to have an advocate when they are at their most vulnerable time in life. There were times that I knew there were therapies that they had tried with him and didn't work. Signs and symptons of blood clots which I had to bring to the attention of the staff. With all of the required documentation, numbers of patients healthcare staff need to see in a day, it is impossible for them to focus on every detail in each patients individualized situation. It is too overwhelming for patient's families and caretakers to do it all alone. Especially without having any background knowledge in the medical field. I recently left the operating room and I am now doing homecare. I realize now more than ever, that I need to become an independant nurse advocate. With patients and families having me there to provide the services they need and take some of the weight off is what I want to provide. This will ultimately allow the patient to focus on healing and the caretakers to try and contimue some of their daily routines with peace of mind.