Comfort in the Final Moment
A small car sped across three lanes of traffic , right into the path of a tractor-trailer . Drivers watched in horror as the big rig collided with the car , spinning it in the wrong direction on the expressway . The driver of the car was slumped down sideways under the steering wheel . The truck driver , a young man about 20 years old , was in shock as he got out of the truck . “ There was nothing I could do to stop ,” he kept repeating .
Two witnesses rushed to help , calling 911 . Then without even thinking , a Spartan Nurse jumped out and ran to the car hoping to get him out of his vehicle and start CPR , but she could not get the door open . The window was open a few inches — just enough so she could touch his arm . He was breathing , and he had a pulse . Waiting for the police and ambulance to arrive , she stayed with him , her hand on his arm , telling him she would not leave him alone .
A few moments later he took his last breath and passed away with Penny Pittard Maroldo comforting him on a six-lane highway that summer morning of 2001 .
Nursing Knowledge and Training Goes into Overdrive
Once help arrived for the victim of the accident , Maroldo turned her attention to the young truck driver . She sat with him and listened as he talked and cried ; his body shook uncontrollably . She instructed him to take deep breaths and shared her assessment that the man probably had a heart attack or stroke at the wheel of the car .
“ I could not have done any of this without the nursing knowledge and training I received at MSU . I felt confident . I knew what to do , and I acted ,” she says .
Going the Extra Mile to Take Care of the Whole Person
Maroldo found the name of the accident victim in the obituaries a few days later and contacted his wife . “ I sat with her at the funeral home and assured her that her husband was not alone when he took his last breath . She was grateful .
“ At MSU , we were taught to take care of the whole person , that they were never the ‘ appendectomy in room 211 .’ Every patient care plan had to address all the health and social needs — including the family ’ s needs . This has stayed with me all through my career and I always went the extra mile ,” Maroldo says .
“ Though that terrible accident happened years ago , I will never forget that I had the privilege to be with a fellow human being at the moment of his death , and knew what to do to comfort him , even if there was no way to save him ,” she adds .
Maroldo now volunteers at a free clinic in Lorain County Ohio doing patient intake . “ Even in retirement , at nearly age 70 , there will always be ways to use my nursing skills ,” she says . “ I don ’ t think you can ever stop being a nurse .”
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF NURSING • NURSING . MSU . EDU
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