When a physician learned his patient’s teenage daughter was heartbroken that her spring break trip to Europe was canceled because of the pandemic, he decided to step in and bring Europe to her.
The patient’s nurse, Whitney Carter, RN, mentioned to the care team how disappointed the man’s daughter was to have to miss her planned trip to Italy and France, and the patient’s attending physician, Justin Jones, MD, decided he wanted to help.
“Whitney and I both love this family and it really is a heartbreaking story because our patient is younger with young children,” Dr. Jones says. “His daughter was in high school and had this once-in-a-lifetime trip planned to France that had to be canceled because of COVID-19. Her mother told us she’d been so strong throughout her father’s sickness, but she was really broken up about not getting to go on this trip. How sad is that? You’re in high school, your dad is dying, and now a once-in-a-lifetime trip is canceled?”
Justin Jones, MD
“Dr. Jones reached out to me a few weeks later with an idea,” Whitney says. “He wanted to get a French cheese spread together for the daughter and deliver it to their home with me on one of my weekly visits. I was more than excited about this. We were able to deliver an assortment of cheeses, handpicked by Dr. Jones, and some French pastries that I picked up from a bakery in Salt Lake City.”
Dr. Jones says he developed a love for fine cheeses while attending medical school in Dallas, Texas, when some friends from France introduced him to a restaurant that served imported cheeses from all over the world. He and his wife would eat there often and learned a lot. They’ve now found a grocery store in Utah that sells imported cheeses and enjoy hosting occasional parties where they share their cheese knowledge with others.
“Shortly after I heard about the canceled trip, it just kind of clicked — it would be easy for me to buy some cheeses and accompaniments and provide the family with at least a little taste of France,” Dr. Jones says. “When I told Whitney about the idea, she got really excited. My sister also wanted to contribute and donated a decorative silk French cloth she’d purchased in Paris.”
Whitney and Dr. Jones arranged to make their delivery. They coordinated with the patient’s wife to make sure the daughter would be home. Then they presented the gifts and spent time explaining each of the cheeses in detail.
“He really went above and beyond in more ways than I’ve ever seen a provider do,” says Whitney. “The gratitude of the patient and his spouse for this small act of kindness is something I can’t put into words. And when I saw the patient’s daughter later, she couldn’t tell me enough how grateful she was for all of it.”
Dr. Jones adds, “It was fun to see them get so excited and bring a little adventure into their lives at this trying time.”
Susie Mink, Homecare clinical operations manager, says, “I went on a shared visit with Dr. Jones and he was sensitive and kind as he addressed difficult conversations. Who knew he’s such an expert on cheese, too? Whitney is also an amazing caregiver and emotionally generous with her patients.”