Edition 129 - February 2013 - Interior Health

PATIENT STORY
Doctor, Nurse ‘Blessing’
to Patient
W
hen Evan Jensen walked into the Royal
Inland Hospital Emergency Department, he
was dazed and his speech was garbled.
He had shown signs of a stroke and his wife, Kristina
Schwende, called the nearest hospital, which was
Ashcroft, and described Evan’s symptoms. She was
advised to take him directly to Kamloops.
Staff were waiting for him when he arrived and he was
seen almost immediately.
“I was not expecting a great experience,” admitted
Kristina, noting the couple had just moved from the Lower
Mainland to the Walhachin area, about 45 minutes west of
Kamloops. “But it couldn’t have been better.”
A “fantastic” ER nurse took charge of Evan’s care after
admission.
“She was so confident and intelligent, yet she had this
great sense of humour,” said Kristina. “She answered all
our questions and put us at ease.”
“I really wish I had got that nurse’s name,” added Evan.
“She was fabulous. I’ve been in the hospital a number of
times in my life and she was far and above the best nurse
I’ve ever had.”
His experiences with medical professionals began in 1986
when he suffered a severe head trauma during a hockey
game that left him in a coma. A few months later, an
aneurysm developed and brain surgery followed.
The incident last summer, diagnosed as a transient
ischemic attack (mini-stroke), is believed to have resulted
from the original injury site.
With the help of RIH Health Service Director, Kris
Kristjanson, @IH was able to discover the nurse
handling Evan’s care that day was RN Diana Hauser.
Walhachin couple Kristina Schwende, left, and Evan Jensen
meet Royal Inland ER nurse Diana Hauser to say thanks for her
excellent care when Evan suffered a stroke in August 2012.
Evan and Kristina were able to meet Diana again in the
middle of January during her regular shift in the ER. They
were all smiles as they connected briefly and were able to
thank her for her excellent care.
Diana told Evan she was happy to see him looking so
well. She said her approach in the ER last August is what
nurses do because they believe strongly in patient-centred
care.
Dr. Russ Mosewich was the neurologist on call which,
in the words of Kristina and Evan, was great luck for
them.
“I have never in my entire life seen a doctor, especially a
specialist, who was more willing to help his patient than
Dr. Mosewich,” said Kristina.
“He showed a genuine interest in my welfare,” said Evan.
“I was also able to get in for a follow-up visit and it was
pretty helpful to get a debriefing of what happened that
day.”
Kristina is now a member of Patient Voices Network.
She said she wants to give back where she can to the
health-care system. Today, the couple remain loyal fans of
the system and particularly the ER nurse and neurologist
who gave them great care when they needed it most.
“We are both so grateful to Diana and Dr. Mosewich. They
are a blessing to their patients and professions.”