When patient was alone and dying, nurse never left his side

The patient was dying and had a last request of his ICU nurse, Traci Priebe.

“Could you please sit with me? Don’t leave my side,” the man pleaded.

His lungs were failing. He knew it. And he didn’t want to die alone.

Priebe was a relatively new nurse then, starting a new career after initially studying psychology. She works nights and had another patient who needed her then too. But, she immediately understood that this man’s request signified the essence of nursing: focusing intently on each patient’s needs.

Priebe asked her supervisors for help tending to her other patient.

Then, she glued herself to the man’s side, holding his hand and talking to him in his final hours.

“Whatever it takes, I’m not leaving,” Priebe told him.

The man talked about his grown children.

“He was very proud of each of his kids. They had all gotten good jobs. They were independent. He knew they were going to be OK,” Priebe said.

She connected the man over the phone with his wife. The couple shared final goodbyes.

The experience shaped Priebe and prepared her for the COVID-19 pandemic, when she has had to comfort several patients during their last hours.

“We can never forget about the human side,” Priebe said. “Each of these patients is a person with loved ones who deserves to be treated with dignity. It’s our duty and our responsibility to care for them physically, mentally and emotionally.”

Along with the tragedies of patients who have died, there have been success stories too. One of Priebe’s patients was a nurse too and feared she was dying.

“Please tell my family I loved them,” the woman said.

Priebe reassured her and performed simple kindnesses, like brushing the woman’s hair.

That patient survived and was able to go home.

Priebe’s devotion to nursing has earned her countless kudos from her colleagues and supervisors at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.

“She consistently picks up extra shifts. She will come in early so I can see my kids before they go to bed. The commitment Traci shows to everyone around her is a reflection of her heart of gold,” said Olivia Thornton, a fellow nurse and Priebe’s supervisor.

While enduring the pandemic and spending countless hours caring for her patients in Colorado, Priebe also has given loving care to her father, David Priebe, who is fighting terminal esophageal cancer in her hometown in Iowa.

Priebe has flown home as often as possible to help with her dad’s care. Her mom and sister are also nurses and her brother is a doctor, so caregiving runs in the family.

Priebe considers it a privilege to care for her dad in his final months.

“It’s humbling and reminds me of the human aspects of nursing,” Priebe says.

Just like the patient who taught Priebe to be present in each moment, Priebe’s father tells her he’s at peace because his children are doing well and each have found a calling.

“Every day, he tells me how proud he is of me. He tells me that I have found a way to change the world.”

 

Editor’s note: Traci Priebe’s father passed away in late February. The family got to enjoy a final vacation together and David Priebe felt lucky to receive loving care in his final days from his wife, Traci and their other children.