As she was caring for her terminal patient at Northside Hospital Gwinnett, registered nurse Kim Still learned the woman’s dog had been surrendered to a local shelter.
Still worried about the pup’s fate, she did something not many people would do: She went to the shelter and adopted the dog. That act of kindness earned Still recognition from the Daisy Foundation.
“Before Kim’s patient passed, she was made aware of Kim’s extraordinary act of kindness,” the Daisy Foundation wrote in an Instagram post announcing Still’s award. “The patient was able to pass peacefully knowing that Jax had been adopted by her favorite nurse.”
Still told Channel 2′s Matt Johnson, who originally reported the story, ”The lesson from this is that getting to know every patient can truly help them in more ways than one.
“I could have never guessed the connection that you develop with some people when you take care of them,” she added.
Still told Johnson she connected with the patient the moment she was assigned to her, so she knew Jax’s situation. “She didn’t have any kids. She didn’t have any family close by. So all she really had was this dog,” Still said.
She said the chihuahua will always remind her why she became a nurse.
“People will need to feel heard, and they need to feel like someone cares about them,” Still told Channel 2.
She said Jax is already best friends with her first dog. “I am never going to get rid of him. He is so sweet. He is one of the most loving dogs ever,” Still said.
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