When Diagnosed With Leukemia, Noah Ludtke's Care Team Eased His Anxiety | Kaiser Permanente
Channel: Kaiser Permanente
Date: 20/09/2016

When Noah Ludtke was first diagnosed with leukemia, he was scared. 

He didn’t want to talk to anybody, he just wanted to be with his family. Shannon Ludtke, Noah’s mom, is grateful that she is able to stay with him during his treatments. 

“We basically move in,” said Shannon. 

Noah’s care team at Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center — including nurse manager Carol Kelly, RN; Michelle Yim, RN; Jennifer Friedman, RN; and Jennifer Lindsley, RN — worked with him to ease his anxiety and developed a safe, caring space for him to feel more empowered and informed. They also helped to advance a collaborative effort between departments to offer deep sedation during painful procedures. As Shannon and Noah spent more time with the nurses, Noah started opening up.

“The nurses are really great,” Noah said. “If you call them on the button, no matter what it is they’ll figure out something. Or they’ll take you to the game room and if they have free time, they’ll play board games with you.”

“We actually have a relationship with them instead of just having a doctor-patient [relationship],” said Shannon. “It’s more like they become part of your family.”

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