Congratulations to Aleka Johnson on Winning the BEE Award!

Please join us in celebrating Aleka Johnson, a Clinical Associate on 10 Mountain ICU. She was nominated and selected as a winner of the BEE Award at CRMH! Congratulations, Aleka! Thank you for all you do.

Aleka's Nomination Story:

"This young lady is extraordinary. My mother was in ICU for 34 days. She's still at the hospital, but was moved to PCU yesterday. All of the nurses in ICU are just amazing. Mom was fairly incoherent for a while, but as soon as Aleka walked in & spoke to her, mom would respond. She made sure, every shift, that everything in mom's room was stocked, that mom was being moved & adjusted, & any time we needed anything, she was right there. She personally made sure mom was clean, by bathing her, wiping her clean when she'd had an accident, & keeping a clean gown on her. She was exceptional at keeping us well informed about everything that was going on, & how it was being treated. This girl literally brightens up the room when she walks in. She'd make sure to say goodbye to mom, every day too. I've watched as Aleka held mom's hand to comfort her, stroked her hair & talked softly to her, reassuring her many times. She showed a level of care, & concern, as if it was her own family laying in that bed. Mom feels the same way, often reaching out to hold her hand. Mom's stay has been nothing short of a roller coaster, to say the least. We were faced with some difficult decisions, concerning whether to extubate & let her go, or have a tracheostomy done & let her live on a ventilator. Things were looking pretty grim. I'd stepped outside to make some calls, & as I was walking back into the hospital, I hear my name being called. There was Aleka, clocked out & on her own time, coming towards me. This tiny lady wrapped me in the biggest bear hug, I've ever had. She held me as I started to cry, & kept encouraging me, & letting me know that things would be ok. I can't begin to express how much that meant to me. Her care, & compassion, genuinely extend beyond just earning an hourly wage. I've only missed about 6 days, out of mom's stay so far. Honestly, I felt guilty on those days, but knowing Aleka was there, gave me peace because I knew mom would absolutely be taken care of. I didn't feel as if I HAD to be there, watching over mom. In situations like ours, having that peace of mind, is absolutely indescribable. Every family member that's met Aleka, absolutely adores her. They've all commented on her genuineness, & just how wonderful she's been to mom. Even today, after her shift was over, & before she went home, she checked in on mom in PCU. It's one thing to care about a patient, when you're getting paid to. But, it's something much more special to care about a patient, when you don't have to. I've always said that it takes a special type of person, to be a nurse. Aleka has definitely found her calling in life. She's one of those special people. I can never thank her, & the other ICU nurses, enough for everything they've done, & the kindness they've shown. Nominating her for this recognition, is just one small way to show just how appreciative my whole family is to her. She absolutely deserves it."