In Their Words
Patients share their Dana-Farber experience
Written about Diane Ransom, RN, BSN, OCN
Staff nurse, Dana 1 infusion
Published on Boston.com: May 2006
It's difficult to condense Diane's wonderful, compassionate, professional capabilities and personal endearing qualities into words. In addition to being my fabulous husband's main infusion nurse at Dana-Farber for the last two years of his life, Diane also became a dear friend to me.
Her dedication was unparalleled and her loving spirit was genuine and sincere. She was willing to educate me on everything I needed to know to take care of my husband while we were at home and gave me the confidence and support to do so.
At home on the evening of June 10 (2005), when it finally became apparant that the love of my life was quietly and courageously slipping away, I called Diane to ask for some advice on what medicine I could give him to make him comfortable. She immediately said she was "on her way." Not only did she arrive within 35 minutes on a Saturday night, after having worked all day and against my protest (although I was privately so relieved for her presence), but she insisted on sitting with me for the entire evening, since there was little more we could do medically. In the morning, she helped me sponge bathe him. We lovingly made him as fresh and comfortable as possible, although by this time he had slipped into a deep coma.
My husband, who was the world to me — and Diane's patient and friend — passed away several hours later. But I know that on some level he knew that she was there helping me through that night and that it gave him a huge measure of comfort in his final hours. I will be forever grateful to her and more comfortable knowing that she and people like her are in the medical profession, as we are all infinitely better.
Jean Zarrillo
