Surprising a lonely patient on her birthday

A patient’s birthday was approaching, and she was feeling lonesome at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital.

“She had no loved ones visiting at all. No close relatives. She was depressed,” float pool nurse Paitton Adle said. “She was complaining about our lovely cafeteria food. She said our strawberry shortcake was fake. She said, ‘All I want is strawberry shortcake.’”

Adle cared for the patient on four consecutive shifts. One day, caught in a construction detour on her way to work, Adle saw a grocery store and had an idea. She arrived at the hospital the night before the patient’s birthday with a strawberry shortcake, loaded with whipped cream, from the store.

For the cake’s glaze, Adle found a recipe on Pinterest with ingredients such as fresh strawberries, sugar and corn starch.

“I’m really allergic to strawberries, so I had to wear gloves,” Adle said, adding that she prepared the glaze and heated it in the unit’s microwave. She shared the glaze with colleagues for a taste “to make sure it was good.”

Adle, a night shift nurse, went home before she had a chance to present the birthday cake to the patient.

“She was sleeping,” she said. “I didn’t want to wake her up.”

Katie Olson, a float pool nurse on the day shift, completed the task.

“I came into the room with it, and her eyes just lit up. She said, ‘Is this for me?’” Olson said. “She just didn’t stop smiling as she had her first bite.”

She said the patient was thankful and surprised by the generosity.

When Adle returned for her next shift, the patient was no longer on the unit.

“The hardest part of nursing is not knowing the ending. I get to see the patient for that moment in time,” she said. “If I can make someone’s day, it’s totally worth it.”