March 2018 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.
Manhattan— A Manhattan patient sent a letter praising nurses Jennifer “Jenny” Kinder and Marianne Savarese and physical therapists Edwin Damaso and Steve Wong. “Both Jenny and Marianne visited me and helped me on the path to excellent physical therapy,” he wrote. “I would also like to thank Edwin, my five-day physical therapist, who was excellent—methodical and positive—and Steve, my weekend physical therapist, who was engaging and helpful with very good instructions. I hope you will thank everyone on my behalf. Congratulations to all for a well-organized, caring, and very helpful staff and program.”
A patient sent an email to the VNSNY website complimenting nurse Stephen Yip, occupational Dina Klein, physical therapist Dax Lim, and interdisciplinary care team manager Yin Ng. “The care and attention I received from your employees after my knee replacement surgery was exceptional,” he noted, “and I want to commend them for their professionalism and level of attention and care. They’ve made me a big fan of VNSNY.”
Another patient emailed to say, “I am so grateful to the Visiting Nurse Service of New York for helping me heal after the birth of my second child. The amazing nurse Nisla Pryce from the Maternal-Newborn-Pediatric unit came daily to clean, repack and cover an infected C-section incision. The process can be painful and Nisla was gentle, considerate and knowledgeable about the wound care. She tends to babies also, so while my older child didn’t need any care, I was able to ask her lots of questions—an extra perk! I believe I healed much faster because of the excellent care of Nisla and her backup, nurse Weanny Ching. Thank you!”
“It is my pleasure to write to you concerning my experience with nurse Su Lai Wang,” another patient commented. “She came to my home on time and greeted me with warmth and smile. During the examination and treatment, she was very caring and thorough in her approach. She comforted me throughout the procedure and provided detailed instructions how to take care of my wounds. She really made me feel at ease given the difficult situation. Thank you for providing such a caring and professional nurse.”
Nassau—A patient phoned to express her gratitude for the care provided by nurses Anita Breitman and Elizabeth Childress. “Anita is a lifesaver, a real Florence Nightingale,” she stated, “and Elizabeth is an angel. Thank you for sending them to me!”
Another Nassau patient called to praise speech language pathologist Sherri Hughes for being “very professional, caring, and compassionate.”
Queens—A Queens patient phoned to convey her thanks for the care she received from nurse Marie Crosswell. “She is the absolute best, just awesome,” the caller said. “She enters the home with a positive attitude and is so professional. Her spirituality and warm demeanor just melted the pain away.”
A patient sent an email commending nurse Katherine Manash and physical therapist Steven Teh. “Steven is great, and I want you to thank Katherine for everything is done,” the patient noted.
The husband of another Queens patient phoned to commend nurse Svetlana Shurka. “She is terrific and very efficient,” he said. “I’ve been struggling with my wife’s recent onset of Alzheimer’s as well as her wound. Svetlana has been very caring and thoughtful and a great help.”
A patient penned thanks to physical therapist Maria-Concepcion Bautista and occupational therapist Gladys Bayles-Panes. “Maria is a truly wonderful therapist. Her assistance gave me the confidence to believe I could progress,” she wrote. “Gladys helped me to understand the source of my shoulder and arm limitations and worked on relieving pressure and improving posture, which helped me recover.”
Staten Island—A patient who underwent hip replacement surgery wrote to praise physical therapist Ibijoke “Betty” Ayetiwa. “I can’t find words to describe the wonderful care Betty gave me during my therapy sessions,” she noted. “Betty’s calm, patient manner was an enormous help to me when my frustration was at an all-time high. Kudos to Betty and a round of applause to the Visiting Nurse Service of New York.”
Westchester—One of VNSNY’s own staff members sent an email of appreciation to physical therapist Wilfredo Cruz and scheduler Nicole Willis for helping in her recovery. “I had a total right hip replacement last year, and Nicole was extremely helpful and efficient in assigning my physical therapy schedule. Her follow-through was outstanding,” she wrote. “Wilfredo, my physical therapist, made me feel like I was his only patient—he took such good care of me and had so much patience and understanding during my rehabilitation exercises. My pains are completely gone, and I can rejoin my spin class now and work out again without stress. I have my life back, thanks to you!”
