Our latest Kids Come First Files post comes from Heather, a mom who remembers her daughter’s most recent hospital stay as a “scary, yet comforting time because of the staff members who were involved” in the care of her entire family. While Heather’s oldest daughter Layla was receiving care for kidney complications, her youngest was celebrating her third birthday. 

Dear Dr. Rubin,

I had called and left you a message, but wanted to put in writing, my utmost compliments to Dr. Bunchman, his nurses (Jan and Jules), and the pediatric department inpatient staff at wonderful Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. My family and I are used to receiving care from a teaching hospital as we are natives of Morgantown. Before our move to Virginia we were always patients at WVU Hospital where we always received wonderful care, and were so pleasantly surprised to receive the same care when coming to another kindred teaching hospital.

Dr. Bunchman and his staff are top-notch. They are so thorough and honest while still being caring, and making a difficult time for my family much easier to endure. They take time to answer questions and put minds at ease, which is something that I believe some health care professionals lack at times (due to time restraints), yet we never felt rushed or that our care was any less important than another patient. As a parent, that is such a refreshing feeling.

We stayed for two nights on the pediatric  floor and our care there from the nurses and attendings was also of the highest regard. They were incredibly friendly to my daughter who usually has high anxiety in these situations, but she was made very comfortable by their demeanor towards her. She commented in the ER, and again once she was admitted, that “she felt like a queen”  because they were taking such good care of her. They also took the time to make our 3-year-old daughter, whose birthday was the day we were admitted, feel special and included by giving her books and a present.
 

I truly cannot express my gratitude for the experience we had at VCU from our clinic appointment, to the ER, to our hospital stay. This is a spectacular facility that deserves praise on all levels! Thank you for your time. We will forever remember this as a scary, yet comforting time because of the staff involved.

Sincerely,

Heather Pell-Monahan, Layla Pell and family