Every year, we celebrate National Nurses Week (May 6 to May 12) to uplift hard-working colleagues, neighbors, and loved ones.

No matter the setting, sickness, situation or care specialty, nurses are staunch advocates for their patients, expert and efficient multitaskers and compassionate caregivers to family and friends. They work hard every day to keep people as safe and as healthy as possible.

Nurses have remarkable qualities, and by caring for people around them, they hold our communities together. Once again, we are honored to publish your personal stories, share your gratitude, and celebrate the work of nurses across Maine.

 

To: Angela Logue, RN, at Maine Medical Center
From: Kate Shevenell, Don’s daughter

I would like to thank Angela Logue for her steady presence, support and care of my father. She recognized from the first day of his admission for heart disease that he was also suffering from a broken heart from the recent loss of his wife. For the eight years of multiple admissions to the hospital, she would be there to welcome him with a hug, laughter and a listening ear. When his “visits” found her away, she would send a note, leave a flower and find another special soul to care for him. As a nurse myself, I will be forever thankful for her compassion and the comforting ways that she opened her heart to him.

 

To: The Care Management Team at Northern Light Mercy Hospital
From: Margaret Georgia

I want to thank the entire Care Management team at Mercy for their dedication and commitment to our patients. Their compassion and advocacy on behalf of our patients and families is outstanding. They work tirelessly to ensure patients have what they need at discharge. I have witnessed true miracles. It is truly a special team. Mercy is fortunate to have them.

 

To: Emilee Masonoff at Breakwater Commons in Rockland
From: Jamie Masonoff

Emilee is such a wonderful lady. Very pleasant and caring to her residents and their families. She works extra hard, stays late and comes in on her days off to help out. She goes above and beyond what is expected of her.

 

To: All the amazing, fabulous nurses at Pinnacle Health & Rehab in Sanford

As the Administrator at Pinnacle Health & Rehab located in Sanford Maine, I work with many licensed nurses (RNs and LPNs). I would like to thank each and every one of the nurses on the Pinnacle Sanford team for the loving and compassionate care that they provide to the residents of the facility. All of the nurses who work at Pinnacle Sanford are dedicated to their profession and deserve to be recognized. Pinnacle Sanford looks forward to celebrating all our nurses during National Nurse’s Week.

From, Anne Ambler Cote

Your dedication to all our residents is unsurpassed! You all show up and work together to enrich the lives of others unselfishly. It is not easy to please 80 people on a daily basis, and somehow, the Pinnacle-Sanford team makes it seem effortless. It is the extras, like a back rub to ease someone’s pain, holding someone’s hand who is fearful, sitting to talk with that person who is anxious and laughing with everyone so there are no tears from those who are sad. That is what makes us a family. Thank you for the hard work and commitment, you all are my heroes!

From, Lisa Benevento

 

To: Kristen Lehmann at Northern Light Mercy Hospital
From: Laurie Candage

Kristen, thank you so much for the wonderful care that you give our patients every day. You go above and beyond for all whether they are cancer patients or just have a lump or a bump! You give your all to everything you do and for that we THANK YOU! ❤️

 

To: Kimberly Levesque at Spring Harbor Hospital – MaineHealth
From: Meaghan Couillard

Anyone who receives care from Kim is so lucky to be able to receive care from one of the most kind, patient, and selfless people there is. She is always her patient’s biggest advocate, and you can tell she truly loves the work that she does. Working in psychiatric healthcare takes a special kind of heart, and she surely exemplifies that though everything she does. She is greatly aware of how important the work she does is and each person she cares for can certainly feel that radiating from her.

 

To: Molly Ayotte at Northern Light Mercy Hospital
From: Mom and Dad

A thank you can’t possibly sum up the feelings that express our gratitude for all you do. You are the very best among us. We appreciate you for all the time and sacrifice you give each and every day. You are an angel on earth, and we are so very proud of you. Thank you for all you do.

 

To: Olivia Nay at Mid Coast Senior Health, Brunswick

I’d like to express my gratitude and admiration for Olivia Nay, RN, at Mid Coast Senior Health. After starting a career in a completely different field, Olivia decided to follow her passion for helping people and went back to school to become a nurse. As graduation approached, she came to the realization that her passion was to help seniors live fulfilled and healthy lives. Her patients are so lucky to have her calming presence there to help them through their days. She undoubtedly encounters challenges and demands each day, but I know she approaches it all with unwavering dedication and respect for her patients. She is someone who I admire deeply for realizing her calling and making it happen. Go, Livi, go!

With lots of love, Kenzie

 

To: Nursing team on P2D at Maine Medical Center
From: Rob Bolster

The nurses and nurse practitioners on P2D are outstanding at what they do for Advanced Valve patient’s, LVAD, heart transplant, and Fellows Clinic patients, working with patients from Fort Kent to York, the Western Mountains to the coast. These professionals are some of the finest, knowledgeable people you will find to care for you if the services are needed. Empathetic, kind, sympathetic, caring, and go above and beyond what is necessary for getting patient needs taken care of. Thank you for all you do! Deborah Courtney NP, Lisa Conway NP, Amanda Sebastiao NP, Elizabeth Scott NP, Michael Shelley, NP, Lauren Vickerson NP, Jessica Weber NP, Andrea Wyman NP, Devon Andrews RN, Jeffrey Brown RN, Samantha Canonico RN, Darcy Chandler RN, Amanda J. Chaves RN, Kathleen Keene RN PHD, Gertrude Kent RN, Sophia Leavitt RN and Jacqueline Locke, RN.

 

To: Dalis Bragdon at Maine Medical Center
From: Rob Bolster

Dalis and her staff of nurses on P2C are very adaptable, kind, caring, compassionate and care driven. All of the nurses and CNAs give their all to the inpatients they are taking care of. Working on the floor next door we hear the work that they perform. There are too many staff members to name individually. They are all terrific in the skills that they provide. This team has a couple of Daisy Award winners on the floor. Keep up the amazing work, team.

 

To: Morgan Murphy at Southern Maine Health Care
From: Mom and Dad

MoMo, it’s your biggest fans again this year ❤️, just sending out a BIG thank you for everything you do. You love what you do, and it shows. We love our evening calls to hear how your day went and to comfort whenever needed. We love to hear about all the wonderful cards, flowers and treats you receive for giving the best care you know how! You are a rock star amongst MANY other rock stars at SMHC. Keep it up. We love you bunches and bunches!

 

To: Brianna Gullat at Sedgewood Commons
Dear Brianna,

Thank you for taking such good care of my Uncle Bob. You are his favorite. You let him be just who he is, and you make him feel safe and comfortable through his challenges with dementia. You always make sure he has his own copy of his beloved Portland Press Herald which he reads religiously! Thank you for your great communication with family and your compassionate care for him.

Yours gratefully, Bonnie Rideout

 

To: Meaghan Wildes at Maine Medical Center
Our amazing daughter, Meaghan Wildes, is the Nurse Manager of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in the Maine Medical Center. She leads a wonderful team of nurses who specialize in caring for critically ill infants, children and teenagers. Her team of PICU nurses are experts at helping children and their families when they need it most—they are literal lifesavers! They are dedicated to providing compassionate nursing care to the very sickest children. To give the best care possible, her team of PICU nurses combine a deep understanding of physiology, keen observation, and top-notch technical skills combined with compassion, empathy, and love!

With nearly 20 years as a nurse at MMC and now as the PICU nurse manager, Meaghan provides caring leadership and guidance to help her team get through their challenging workday. Meaghan provides the team with mentorship, support, connectivity, community and a dash of fun throughout the workday.

24 hours a day and seven days a week her team of PICU nurses make a meaningful and positive impact every day caring for critically ill children and their families!

Meaghan, we are so proud of you and your accomplishments!!!

Love,

Mom & Dad, Gerry & Carolyn Greenleaf

 

To: Janice Chamberlain at Greater Portland Health, Health Care for the Homeless [IMAGE]
From: Courtney Pladsen

Janice has been the longest serving staff member at the Health Care for the Homeless Clinic with Greater Portland Health. She has had a long nursing career marked by caring for the most marginalized in our community. She has worked in the ICU, jail, psychiatric hospital, and currently serving people experiencing homelessness.

I have had the gift of working with Janice for the past six years. The gruffest of our patients have a soft spot for Janice and I have seen why on countless occasions. She embodies nurse excellence. Whether it is providing daily wound care, washing a person’s feet, or giving haircuts, if it will help a person feel better Janice will do it.

I’m grateful the have honor of working alongside Janice and our patients and community are better off because of her.

 

To: Kathleen Frost, RN, at Maine Medical Center
From: Brenda Allen

With a specialty in Mother Baby Care at MMC, Kathleen Frost, RN, has an unwavering dedication to her patient care. Kathleen is incredibly passionate about the postpartum care she provides mothers along with the newborn care to their infants. She continues to advance her clinical knowledge so she can remain on top of her skill set for her patients. The moms and babies under Kathleen’s care receive an excellent education, from lactation support and crib and car seat safety, to continued at-home postpartum care, so that when her families leave the hospital, they feel prepared. As her proud mom, I love seeing how devoted and committed she is to her career and know her patients are the recipients of her compassionate and very loving, tender care.

I’m so very proud of you, sweetheart.

Love, Mom

 

To: Nursing Team at New England Cancer Specialists
From: Peter Poss

I just wanted to extend a belated “thank you!” to ALL of those who helped support me through my six months of successful chemo and radiation therapy last year. The initial diagnosis hit me blindsided at what was to be my final checkup before a happy retirement! Instead, feelings of panic, fear and anxiety ran through me and how I was to cope with a cancerous tumor after learning of its detection.

But from Day One, their commitment demonstrated how they would take nothing for granted for myself and the other patients around me. They listened, comforted and consoled us and were always striving to keep us at ease. In addition, the teamwork they showed, in always seeing how they might assist their fellow members of the workforce, was phenomenal! And no matter how busy it was, someone on the team would always stop by regularly during the procedure to see if any of us needed assistance. It’s dedication like this that should not go unnoticed, and I will forever be grateful to all of you!

 

To: Ellie Fleming at Maine Medical Center
From: Jeffrey Winters

Ellie has worked very hard her whole adult life to become the nurse she is today. She is very kind and compassionate and brings those qualities to her patients and staff. I hope this recognizes all her hard work!

 

To: Alexiz Mencia at Maine Medical Center
From: Diane Winters

Alexiz is a very good nurse with a calming presence about her. Recently she was at the scene of an accident, and she quickly took charge of the scene and the patient. She was the hero of that day. Even though the outcome was not good, she did what she could in her capacity as a nurse. Here’s to recognizing a hard-working young nurse!

 

To: Shannah Leigh Gallagher at Maine Medical Center [IMAGE]
From: Catherine Ryder

If ever you find yourself in the midst of a medical crisis, I pray you meet my daughter Shannah Gallagher at your bedside. Shannah herself experienced many medical events as a baby and then as a young child, I have long wondered if those experiences led her to become the wonderful nurse leader she is today.

I often refer to those who give of themselves with deep compassion and love as “angels on earth.” Shannah is one of those angels and while her wings may be invisible, her touch, her words and the care she provides will be a balm to those who are experiencing a medical crisis. Many friends and colleagues have told me that much to their delight, they found Shannah at their bedside post-surgery, or with a beloved family member when it was their time to pass to another realm. They remark on her ability to be fully present with love, making even the most painful moments more bearable for those saying their final goodbyes.

I’ve often witnessed Shannah arriving home after an extended shift, completely exhausted, and when asked “why so late,” she’ll share that she sat with a patient who was dying. She knew her presence would bring them peace in their final hours, even if it meant she would work well past her scheduled hours. Even during my own medical crisis a few years ago, Shannah appeared at my side. She was ever watchful and ensured I had the best possible care, allowing me to fall asleep feeling relieved, peaceful and full of gratitude.

I am intensely proud of the woman and professional Shannah is, and I know her career allows her to touch lives in ways that will profoundly impact their future recovery and world view. In the words of Mother Theresa, “It’s not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts.” Here’s to all the heart and love that Shannah pours into her work, each and every day. Many will be blessed by her over the years to come.

 

To: Nursing teams in ED Acute Psychiatric and on P6 at Maine Medical Center
From: Lisa and Jamie Beecher, and family

A mental health emergency for our loved one required a five-day involuntary stay in the Emergency Department Acute Psychiatric Unit at MMC while awaiting an open bed in a suitable psychiatric facility. Those days and nights were a highly charged and stressful time for our family. The nursing team understood this and tended to our needs as well of those of our family member with great empathy and compassion. Their advice was invaluable, and we thank them for all the ways they made easier a most difficult juncture in our lives.

When a bed opened on P6 and our loved one was transferred for a seven-week stay for treatment, the nursing team on that floor proved their immense worth every day. Their patience and specialized skills, along with a willingness to listen to family members and include us in certain decision making created an optimal experience for all of us. When a breakthrough finally came, they shared in our happiness. We would like them to know how exceedingly grateful we are to have had them in our corner. If they ever have a bad day and wonder if they are making a difference in this world, we want them to know our family would not have had such a good outcome without their gifts. Thank you, psychiatric nursing staff, from the bottom of our hearts.

 

To: Sarah Leslie at Maine Medical Center
From: Jackie Harkins

While I was recuperating from surgery last spring, I had a sudden medical event in the middle of the night and Sarah arrived within minutes. She alerted the appropriate people and help arrived very quickly. At that point, Sarah had only been a nurse for six months, yet she handled the situation with the ease and confidence of someone who had been in the position for much longer.

A signature of Sarah’s was to say “thank you” as she left the room after helping me. I’d always be amazed by that. Also, as she headed out with her colleagues at the end of a long shift, if she saw me in the hallway, she would take the time to wave and say goodbye. How kind to do that when I’m sure she was tired and just wanted to go home.

Thank you, Sarah, for not only doing your job well, but for going the extra mile in being, kind, friendly and empathetic. You are appreciated!

 

To: Rani McLeod at MaineHealth Cancer Care
From: Toia Francis

My mother has been a nurse since I was the age of 2. One of my favorite memories as a child was going to visit my mom on Bean 5 at MMC. My mother unfortunately suffered a severe back injury at work causing a huge impact in her life and career 12 years ago. Rani has continued to work through this injury and put her love for patients as a priority. Rani has had a huge impact in my career choice as well as I have just entered the nursing field. Your hard work is an inspiration.

Love, Toi

 

To: Annika Moltz at Maine Medical Center
Annika, you are the best! You are a talented, committed and caring nurse and we are so proud of you.

You’ve devoted yourself to developing your own skills and to improving care for both patients and staff on so many levels. We love that you are a nurse, and we love you!

Love, David and Louise

 

To: Jenn Harmon at Northern Light Mercy Hospital
From: Stephanie Nichols

You are the best nurse. Smart, empathetic and a true advocate for those you care for. I will always look up to you! Thank you for all you do and all you are.

 

To: Lynn Cerneus at Mid Coast Hospital
Here’s to a wonderful nurse! Thank you, Lynn. You are so appreciated.

Lots of love, Grammy

 

To: The Specialty Care Unit team at Southern Maine Health Care
From: Claudette Croteau

I have never experienced an entire nursing team that is so dedicated to their patients, their practice and their integrity. Every single nurse is dedicated and truly cares about their patients and their families. They show up, come in early, stay late, work extra to support their team and patients. They have always had to learn to give the best care and advocate for their needs in a small community hospital with limited resources; but that has not held them back in the least and they truly make an impact in this community.

 

To: Liz Bell and Noah Carpenter at Northern Light Mercy Hospital
From: Stephanie Nichols

To my fellow triplets—

The joy you infuse into the care you provide is infectious. You keep me on my toes, always energized and inspired. Thank you for the love, laughs and support! There is no one else I would rather have by my side through all the daily challenges, big and small. I’m so proud of you both, XOXO.

 

To: Anna Wilson at Central Maine Medical Center
From: Amy Thomas

She is kind and caring and does what is right for the patients even after working long hours.

 

To: Emergency Department Night Shift at Northern Light Mercy Hospital
From: Marc Hoffman

Fellow Greater Portland Residents,

Please be aware of a very special and dedicated group of nurses working the Night Shift in the Mercy Emergency Department. No matter how major or minor your illness or accident, this compassionate group will attend to you and get you through until the sun rises and a brighter day comes. They’ve got your back.

 

To: Wound Healing Center Nursing Team at Northern Light Mercy Hospital
From: Ellen Farnsworth

The entire team of nurses on the wound healing team are exceptional in their nursing care. They are compassionate, very competent and knowledgeable. They treat the whole person, not just a particular wound. The entire team communicates well to meet patient needs. The nurses advocate with the providers and problem solve as a team.

It is the nursing staff that create a warm welcoming environment that is felt from reception to all team members that is patient centered. Their collaboration with each other is patient outcome focused. What is especially refreshing is the professional growth they encourage in each other to continually expand their careers. Medical assistants pursue their RN, RNs pursue wound certification, some RNs pursue Nurse Practitioner certification with a specialty in wound care. The energy for expanded learning is reflected in their quality patient care. A very professionally competent, collaborative nursing team that keeps patient care excellence at its core.

 

To: Anna McKeown, PAC, at Maine Medical Center Urgent Care Plus

I so appreciate the opportunity thank and heartily commend a nurse who made a difference in my life recently and, in all likelihood, saved it from ending prematurely. Her name is Anna McKeown, PAC, and she is the nurse practitioner who treated me at the MMC Urgent Care on Brighton Avenue in Portland. My chemotherapy treatments for lymphoma ended in January, but as of February, the cumulative effect of treatment left me severely “deconditioned,” with symptoms including increasing shortness of breath and muscle weakness, difficulty climbing stairs and digestive upset. All I wanted to do was sleep. I reported my symptoms to my doctors who referred me to Urgent Care for tests to rule out a communicable disease.

Nurse McKeown reviewed my record and did a physical exam and ordered a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia. When the results came back, they were inconclusive. She ordered an immediate CT scan to further study my lungs and the results showed significant blood clots. Nurse McKeown wasted no time in ordering an ambulance to rush me to Maine Medical Center’s Emergency Department. I was treated as an in-patient for the rest of the week.

Nurse McKeown showed remarkable competence in troubleshooting symptoms which had been theretofore mistaken for “”normal”” responses to chemotherapy for cancer, asthma, and a compromised immune system. I have since learned pulmonary embolisms can be very difficult to catch and in a large portion of cases are only detected in autopsies. She literally saved my life. And she also visited me at the MMC Emergency Department at the end of my 48 hours there to check on my progress.

She is clearly not only a talented diagnostician and a very well-trained and thorough practitioner, but also a human being who demonstrated the essence of good medical care in my opinion—the “soft skill” of compassionate caring. I owe her a great debt of gratitude and I hope you will agree that she deserves a public commendation for her professionalism and her dedication.

Sincerely,

Ellen Gilliam

 

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“Being ‘a Mercy nurse’ brings to mind a sense of community that is rare to find in a hospital setting.”