When a patient’s birthday party is canceled due to her hospitalization, staff members step in to help her family make the day special.
Florence Nay was looking forward to her 100th birthday party on March 24 at her residence, Grand Victorian of Sycamore, but when she was admitted to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, her family realized their plans to throw her the big party would have to change. They canceled the party, letting more than 75 well-wishers know that Nay would not be in attendance at the celebration. Her friends came by to visit her in the hospital and sent gifts, but her family from Arkansas did not cancel their plans and still made the trip up to Illinois to see her.
When Nay’s caregivers at the hospital heard about the canceled celebration, they stepped in to provide a conference room and coordinate a party at the hospital for the Nay family. Thanks to Christina Brown, discharge planner from Kishwaukee Hospital Social Services; Ilaxi Patel, DO, internal medicine physician at Northwestern Medicine KishHealth Physician Group; and Sara Bernhard, RN, Kishwaukee Hospital Y2 nurse, for making the in-hospital celebration arrangements, and to Mobility Technicians Kathryn Pelton and Whitney Denny for transporting Nay to the party.
At the celebration, Nay opened gifts and attendees enjoyed cupcakes and punch and took family photos. To make the event even more special, Reilly Farrell, 14-year-old son of Tamara Farrell from the Northwestern Medicine Internal Communications team, was glad to play “Happy Birthday” and a few other songs on his violin. When he found out what a huge Chicago Cubs fan she is, he knew exactly what song to dedicate to her: “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
Cutline for top photo: Northwestern Medicine staff members, Whitney Denny, Kishwaukee Hospital mobility technician, (left) and Sara Bernhard, RN, Kishwaukee Hospital Y2 nurse, (right) attend Florence Nay’s 100th birthday celebration.
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