June 2019 Patient Letters
The following are excerpts from a few of the many recent letters, phone calls, and emails that we’ve received from grateful patients and family members. Together, they reflect the outstanding work done each and every day by VNSNY’s entire frontline staff.
Brooklyn—The father of a Brooklyn patient called to offer praise for nurse Michelle Braithwaite, stating that Michelle is “a very special human being” and “incredible.”
Manhattan—A Manhattan resident wrote the following note praising physical therapist Vanessa Alland: “From the moment she entered my rehabilitation world, she was professional and caring, informative and compassionate. Her unique way of educating me, along with the physical therapy, was outstanding. I learned so much from her. She is more than just a physical therapist, she is a masterful educator.” She added, “I always think that whatever field one chooses to be in, it’s really about the person behind the job that makes all the difference. Vanessa is one of those special people who gives from the heart and backs that up with her incredible volume of knowledge in the world of physical therapy. She is an extraordinary human being, and I am grateful that our paths have crossed and to have been in her great hands. I thank you from the bottom of my heart that you sent her into my home to help me. I shall never forget her.”
The daughter of a Manhattan patient penned the following letter extolling the care provided by VNSNY to her parent: “My mother and I wanted to extend our gratitude to Leslie Cohen, the VNSNY nurse that is part of my mother’s case doing regular check-in visits. A few weeks ago, my mother had a problem that caused a great deal of pain and discomfort, making what should have been a simple visit very complex. Leslie remained calm through it all, drawing from all her years of experience caring for patients and trying everything in her arsenal to fix the situation. Unfortunately, nothing appeared to be working. That did not stop Leslie from solving this problem. She immediately contacted my mother’s doctor. With his guidance and her expertise, she was able to do what was needed and help my mother immediately feel better. Thanks to her, this situation did not escalate further to where my mother likely would have ended up in the emergency room. My mother’s doctor called Leslie ‘the best,’ with which we agree wholeheartedly. We are incredibly appreciative of Leslie’s hard work and dedication to the care of her patients. She goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure her patients are cared for. I’m very thankful for her care of my mother and most especially on this last visit!”
“I am writing regarding my experience with my physical therapist Farouk Khan, following my hip replacement surgery,” noted another Manhattan patient. “I am pleased to report that Farouk provided me with exceptional therapeutic home care. He is unfailingly courteous, knowledgeable, patient and articulate in his instructions and explanations, and above all professional in working through each therapeutic session with his patient. I am most grateful for having received such level of care as that I received from Mr. Khan, and I could not be more appreciative, or recommend him more highly.”
A Manhattan patient sent a letter commending physical therapist Karl Estrada for assisting in her recovery from a total knee replacement surgery. “Karl enters my apartment with a bright, upbeat smile which does not fade throughout the entire session, cheering me on to perform to the best of my ability with such good humor that I accomplish what I thought to be impossible,” she wrote. “Karl has the perfect combination of firmness and gentleness necessary to get me moving with confidence. Apart from a sunshine personality and demeanor, Karl motivates me with his intelligence, breadth of knowledge of his field and ability to answer all my questions patiently and diligently.” The patient also added that she looks forwards to Karl’s visits and feels better after each one. “I am truly grateful to you for matching me with Karl and for having the opportunity to work with such an outstanding professional.”
“For the last two months, I have had the most wonderful home health aide from Partners in Care while recovering from a still unidentified foot problem,” wrote another Manhattan patient. “Michelle Martin-Forde is a true credit to VNSNY and Partners. Always helpful, always pleasant, she is someone of whom your organization should be very proud.”
A patient posted a note to the VNSNY website praising Partners in Care home health aide Fatoumata Diallo for her help following a procedure. “I want to thank you for sending Fatoumata,” the patient stated. “She was wonderful, early, most polite, and strong enough that I felt secure in holding her arm.If I ever am in need of service in the future, I hope I can request her. She is very thoughtful, and so well-mannered too. She is a real gem.”
Queens—“I must tell you how happy I was to have David Friend as my home physical therapist,” wrote one Queens patient. “I had a left hip replacement and he gave me excellent care. He is professional and compassionate, he had me well on my way to a full recovery. Thank you for the good work your organization does.”
The husband of a Queens patient penned a letter of thanks to VNSNY. “Your skilled staff was wonderful to me and my wife,” he said. “The two people who were most wonderful were hospice nurse Allison Williams and home health aide Bernadette Elle. Bernadette treated my wife with such wonderful care and love. Our family wants to thank all of your staff for their loving and professional care.”
“I just wanted to say thank you to VNSNY for sending me a wonderful nurse, Lynette Dorway,” noted another Queens resident. “I must say it was such a pleasure having such a caring person—pleasant, always smiling—taking care of me. I am sad to see her go, but I am happy she came and made a difference in my life.”
The daughter of two recently deceased patients wrote several letters in praise of three Partners in Care home health aides for providing excellent end-of-life care. “Ella Austin rapidly stood out because of how conscientiously she took her duties,” the daughter commented. “Ella could always be counted on to take excellent care of my parents. She treated them with respect and kindness while attending to their physical needs. Her presence during this time was a great source of comfort and strength to us and our parents, and we are very grateful.” She also commended Pauline Cameron, who was “like a member of the family” while providing care for her mother, and later her father after the decision was made to move to mutual care. “Pauline was our rock and indispensable to my parents’ household. She was incredible with both my parents, two very different patients with very different needs, and she showed us all kindness, patience and knowledge. During what was an extremely tense and difficult time, we felt blessed to know that Pauline was with us on this journey, taking the best possible care of my parents.” Finally, she thanked Surooj Hussain for helping “bring order to the chaos” of her parent’s household. “Honestly, I don’t know what we would have done without her. She walked into an incredibly difficult situation and with two terminally ill patients. She went above and beyond her job description, checking in with the other aides and with us even when not on duty. It was obvious she cared—about doing a good job, about my parents, and about us as a family.”
Staten Island—Nurse Kathleen Sarnes wrote the following letter of appreciation to Branch Director Marcia Maddix, shortly after transferring from a position at VNSNY Home Care in Staten Island to VNSNY Hospice: “I wanted to thank you for your guidance during my time at VNSNY CHHA. You really helped me to succeed and grow into a confident, independent nurse. I’ll never forget how kind and how real you always are. You helped me learn how to make decisions on my own and never made me feel like I couldn’t reach out to you for help. I’ve never had such a supportive manager and I am grateful for every time you encouraged me and for how you empowered me. I hope to become a nurse practitioner and it will be because of you that I believed I could.”
Westchester—A Westchester resident wrote a letter of appreciation thanking VNSNY for the work it carries out every day. “What I like best about VNSNY is that you are there for people who really need you and depend on you,” she said. “For that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
