At BWH, Patients and Families Write Often:

Twelve years ago, Harold Aaronsen of Lexington came to BWH for heart valve replacement surgery. As he recovered in the Cardiac Surgery ICU, staff nurse Lisa Comis made his stay comfortable and provided encouraging assurances to his entire family, said Harold's wife, Esther. “When he got home from that stay, we put her name on our refrigerator and always meant to thank her for her smile, personality and emotional support,” Esther said. Twelve years later, the Aaronsen family got that chance last month when Harold came back to BWH for another surgery and Comis stopped by his room to make sure he got everything he needed. The Aaronsens (pictured) took Lisa's name off their refrigerator and sent in this letter:

“When a family member has major surgery and is transferred to the ICU, your loved one is suddenly not in your care. You can only pray that the professionals who will assume the responsibility to take care of your family member are competent. You cannot assume that the health care professional possesses the qualities equally important for healing-that of compassion, kindness, caring for the physical and mental well-being of the patient. We were lucky! In the ICU our family found those competent practitioners that we would expect from a top hospital like BWH. We cannot possibly name all of them but we are grateful for their care.

There is a nurse who had additional innate gifts. She was not only a skillful ICU nurse in the medical sense but also was attentive to feelings and emotion. Her gentle smile, her encouragement and caring, sensitive manner went well beyond the physical needs of our family member. We therefore felt compelled to specifically recognize Lisa Comis. BWH is blessed to have a nurse of her caliber. She possesses the highest qualities of human integrity to care for others when they are vulnerable.”
-Esther and Harold Aaronsen and Family