Yelitza Guzman, BSN, RN
Gwinnett Medical Center
The request from her 32-year-old terminal cancer patient Alex was one that Yelitza Guzman, BSN, RN, simply couldn’t refuse. “He asked me to be the godmother to his young son – Alex is Catholic and I am too; I know how important a godparent is in the life of a child, so I agreed,” said the surgical nurse and medical interpreter at Gwinnett Medical Center who was on Alex’s case through the last months of his life. Originally from Puerto Rico, Guzman is often called on to interpret for patients for whom English is a second language. “He told me he saw something in me that he wanted to have in his son’s life after he was gone. We had the ceremony at the church before he passed. Alex became part of my family in his time in the hospital, and now we are connected with his whole family.”
Dr. Murtaza Cassoobhoy, who nominated Yelitza, said "in palliative care, we are used to developing very strong ties with patients and families but this was unique and amazing."
Guzman and her husband often take Alex’s son to weekend activities and participate with his family in holiday events. “In December our whole unit at the hospital got together to help the family have Christmas, and we all look out for them at other times, too,” she said.
She began nursing studies in her mid-30s; she’s been a nurse for five years. “I truly love being a nurse because of the relationships we build with patients and their families,” she said. “Relationships are the most important thing and why I am a nurse. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.”
