Two sisters with COVID-19 who were separated by a few walls at McKay-Dee Hospital’s intermediate care unit were able to visit and spend time together, sharing childhood memories, before one of them ultimately passed from COVID-19.
Joyce Wally
Christine Arnell was two rooms away from her sister Joyce Wally, when Joyce took a turn for the worse and decided to choose hospice and comfort care over intubation. Caregivers on the unit were able to safely bring the sisters together in Joyce’s room where they talked and reminisced for a few hours before Joyce peacefully passed.
“Joyce made a very difficult decision and asked if Christine could come to her bedside,” says Amber Westbroek, RN, nurse manager on the intermediate care unit, which is McKay-Dee’s overflow ICU for COVID-19 patients.
Christine Arnell
Christine was bought into Joyce’s room, while both sisters were on very high oxygen levels, but still able to communicate and hold hands. “They were both weak, but they exchanged smiles and talked about growing up together on a farm and their experiences,” says Amber.
Jana Pierce, RN, who cared for Joyce the day she passed, says, “Joyce told me she’d come to terms with her life and felt strongly that additional care wouldn’t make a difference. She was one of the most impactful patients I’ve ever cared for. I’ll never forget her.”
Jana recalls she leaned toward Joyce and let her know she’d done an incredible job of fighting COVID-19 and that it was OK to let go. “I hugged her and even though I’m not sure if she heard me, she shed a tear,” she says. “It was very emotional. She was able to say her goodbyes and make her own decisions. It was all so powerful.”
Jana Pierce, RN
Joyce passed about ten minutes later with Christine and a nephew in full PPE at her side.
Christine, who was discharged from the hospital a few days later, says that while it was a horrible situation, she was grateful to be by her sister’s side. “Joyce was a wonderful person, loved by everyone, and I miss her every day,” Christine says. “She had this amazing way of bonding with people and making friends wherever she went. She was an art teacher and such a giving person. Her students wanted to work with her right up to when COVID began last spring.”
Amber Westbroek, RN
Joyce’s nephew adds that the caregivers at McKay-Dee treated Joyce like gold. “Jana was one of the best nurses,” he says. “It made this experience so much better. All the staff were so caring.”
Lisa Herring-Murray, nurse case manager, and Tim Tcha, RN, also played a part in helping bring the sisters together.
“Joyce was grateful for everything we did for her,” adds Amber. “She was the sweetest lady.”