(Story and photos courtesy Lisa Kaylor, Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia)
When Nicoletta Blocki died unexpectedly Memorial Day weekend, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit team at Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia felt her absence acutely.
She had been the seniormost nurse in the unit, dedicating 33 years in the PICU caring for young patients. When one of them passed away, without fail she sent the family a sympathy card. The PICU at Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia cares for children from across Georgia. Some of these families are grieving far from loved ones, and a little extra kindness from staff members like Blocki can mean so much to them.
“She was really serious about her patients. She was serious about patient care. Families loved her because she was incredibly attentive,” said Theresa Ehntholt, Assistant Nurse Manager for PICU.
Following her death, Nicoletta’s team members in the PICU took up a collection to help her family with final expenses and meals. The outpouring was so generous that there was a substantial amount of money left after the family was cared for, said Miranda McFarland, a social worker at the children’s hospital.
“We had so much left over that we wondered what we could do to honor her,” she said.
With the family’s blessing, the staff created a bereavement cart in Blocki’s memory. The cart itself was repurposed from the PICU, and the staff stocked it with sympathy cards, various sized canvases and paint for capturing hand- and footprints, clay for making handprint ornaments, fillable ornaments for displaying keepsakes, and heartbeat bears from the Center for Patient and Family Centered Care. The bears contain devices that can capture and replay a child’s heartbeat inside a stuffed bear.
When it becomes evident that a child will not have the outcome everyone hoped for, staff create mementos that can be given to the family after the child passes away. If a family is not ready or able to accept this difficult news, the staff will create these keepsakes and give it to them following the child’s death. For families who have accepted it, they can be part of creating them with their child as a memory as well as a keepsake.
“It gives them something to hold on to that they can remember their child with,” said Michelle Elerson, case manager.
Blocki’s patients were everything to her, Ehntholt said. She had the ability to explain complicated medical concepts to families in a way that they could understand, and she advocated for her patients whenever it was needed. Ehntholt described her as the “glue of the unit.” After Blocki’s death, Ehntholt said many of the younger nurses began sharing stories of how she impacted their lives. They described her as intimidating, but also emotional. She could remember names and details that others often forgot.
“In a unit like this, we spend a lot of time together, more time than we probably spend with our families. It can be a very difficult, stressful environment, so you become super close with the people who understand what goes on in the PICU. It’s like losing a family member for us,” Ehntholt said. “I’m just thrilled that the bereavement cart was made in Nicoletta’s honor. She would very happy that we were doing this to keep her work alive.”
Generosity and thoughtfulness are qualities Nicoletta demonstrated in other areas of her life, as well. Her sister, Monica Blocki, said in an email that Nicoletta loved giving people cards with confetti in them for any occasion, and homemade crafts and cards she made by hand. Nicoletta made certain her nieces created something for Monica every Mother’s Day. Monica Blocki said she was surprised by the outpouring and generosity of the PICU staff for her sister, and that she is proud of what Nicoletta Blocki meant to others. She believes her sister would have loved knowing that her colleagues were continuing her mission of comforting grieving families.
“Nicoletta would love the cart because she knew a gesture such as a card is kind, thoughtful and caring,” Monica Blocki said. “She would feel awkward having her name attached to the cart since she was a humble person and would not want to boast about herself. However, as her sister, I would have reminded Nicoletta how she was the perfect model of consideration for others and that ‘The Blocki Bereavement and Comfort Cart’ represents this significant, impactful part of her.”
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