Nuclear medicine technologist turns routine visit into moment of healing

Ryan Eason is fortunate to spend more time with patients than most in radiology do.

That’s because Eason is the lead nuclear medicine technologist at UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital, and his patients typically spend about two hours during each visit with the nuclear medicine team.

One day, a patient was coming back for a follow-up visit. Eason went to the waiting room to walk her back for her scans. When he arrived, he found the woman crying.

Eason sat down with the patient before taking her back to nuclear medicine, comforting her and trying to learn more.

“She let me know this was the first time she had been back at Highlands Ranch Hospital since her husband died here,” said Eason. “The couple had been coming here for over five years, and they both knew our team members by name. They would even hug staff after their tests.”

Eason took the patient to her room. Once her scans began, Eason had a team member sit with her while he went to Target and bought the patient flowers and a card.

Eason gathered his team and shared the news, asking them to sign the card. Everyone expressed their condolences without hesitation.

“I wanted to make sure she knew the whole team was with her and thankful that she returned to Highlands Ranch Hospital for her health and recovery, despite recent events,” Eason said.

After the woman finished her scans, Eason gave her the signed card and flowers. She was surprised and extremely grateful. She teared up and told Eason how much the gesture meant to her.

“Her story and situation spoke to me,” said Eason. “I wanted her to know we all care about her and are here to support her whenever she comes to our hospital.”

Leslie Sisney, radiology manager at Highlands Ranch Hospital, praised Eason in a recent Celebrating You nomination.

“It is not unusual to see Ryan spending extra time with the patients who need it most. Whether he’s listening to their personal stories that brought them to nuclear medicine or sharing experiences from the military, he consistently finds ways to connect deeply. He goes above and beyond to genuinely connect with them, where most would just offer condolences.”