Everything we do at the Brigham is centered around our patients. In inpatient areas, staff typically support patients for a brief window of time — sometimes the most difficult moments, days or weeks of their lives. These teams don’t always know how deep of an impression they have made on the lives of our patients and their loved ones after discharge.

That’s why this story out of Braunwald Tower 8 touched my heart.

This spring, John Bosse and his family returned to the unit to thank them for the care they provided when he was ill with COVID and intubated for 20 days. John and his family thanked the team for treating him “like family.”

During their visit, the family shared the “Starfish Story,” a parable about the difference one person can make in another’s life.

The family’s emotional reunion with staff is a powerful reminder of the impact of relationship-based care and the difference our teams make. This is one beautiful example among so many throughout the hospital — in inpatient, outpatient, emergency and procedural areas — that demonstrates how much the compassion of our staff means to patients and loved ones, long after they’ve left the hospital.

Maddy Pearson, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President, Patient Care Services