Although he couldn’t speak with staff during his five-week stay at Mount Sinai Hospital in the spring of 2008, Jose Melo had said that the kindness and human touch of 11 North nurses made him feel respected as both a person and patient.

“At times, when I became confused and overwhelmed, the nurses held me with a careful touch to calm me down. That showed their respect for me as a person,” said  Mr. Melo, who was treated for neck cancer. He called the nurses “caring, warm and knowledgeable.”

Mr. Melo returned to Mount Sinai later in 2008 for one month to receive end-of-life treatment after his cancer progressed. He died shortly afterward.

During both his Hospital stays, Mr. Melo and his wife grew attached to the nurses on 11 North, a 32-bed surgical unit that cares for patients recovering from reconstructive orthopaedic surgery, oral surgery, ophthalmology and head and neck surgeries.

Such surgeries can leave a patient unable to speak. In order to communicate with some patients, the approximately 50 nurses that work on 11 North have them point at special signs, use notepads and hand gestures.

“Mr. Melo was stoic and brave during his final month,” says Penny Dooks, Clinical Nurse Specialist. “He didn’t complain, and Mrs. Melo was by his side every day. We supported his wife so she could be involved in planning and providing his care as much as she wished.”

During his stay at the Hospital, Mr. Melo was cared for by many of the nurses on 11 North. Tania Peters, one of the nurses on the floor, remembers the effort that the team made while caring for Melo.

“Whether you were assigned to him or not, you were in there helping,” says Peters, a nine-year veteran of 11 North. “There is always a need to cross over roles, from our service assistants to the ward clerk. We’re big on team work and we get things done together.”

During his initial Hospital stay, the 11 North team taught Mr. Melo about the special diet he had to follow, ways to manage his pain and care for the surgical site, all of which comforted him and prepared him to return home safely.

“We take great pride in our work,” says Dooks. “Our nurses come in with a positive outlook and deliver patient and family-centred care every day.”