During Nurses Week, ours share their stories
For our nurses, a passion for caring for others has roots in many places.
During National Nurses Week, we honor all our nurses and nursing support staff for their remarkable resilience and compassionate approach to caring for our patients. We asked several of our nurses what inspired them to go into the field – and what keeps them passionate about what they do every day.
Sonja Haynes, RN, Pediatric Mental Health Nurse
As a college student, Sonja Haynes struggled to pick a major: “I kept changing my mind. I quickly said ‘no’ each time people would suggest nursing.”
However, things changed when her grandfather was battling cancer at M Health Fairview St. John’s Hospital.
“I was deeply moved by the care and compassion his nurses gave to him and my family,” Sonja said. “I started nursing school the next semester. I found my calling at my grandfather’s bedside.”
Now, as a pediatric mental health nurse, she cares for kids who are experiencing a crisis and helps to provide them with a safe, stable environment in our child and adolescent mental health unit.
“I love getting to know them and being able to make therapeutic connections with them,” Sonja said. “It’s very rewarding to be a part of a child’s journey to recovery.”
Jacob Pedersen, RN, Transplant Nurse
Though Jacob Pedersen was always interested in nursing – his mom was one – life took him on a different path and he became a sales manager.
Born with Alport syndrome, a hereditary condition that often leads to kidney disease or failure, Jacob needed a kidney transplant at the age of 33. Life-saving surgery and incredible care from a “very special nurse” at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center inspired him to go back to school – for nursing.
“I felt like my knowledge as a patient would allow me to connect with the patients in a way that others could not,” Jacob said.
Now, he provides life-changing care to transplant patients on the same floor where he received treatment.
While Jacob’s mission was personal, he has discovered how much nurses function as a team.
“Nursing is a team sport,” he said. “We could not do the incredible work we do without one another.”
Dawn Lenn, RN, Intensive Care Unit Nurse
Caring for others comes naturally to Dawn Lenn.
“I’ve wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember,” she said. “Ever since I was young, I found myself caring for sick or injured animals, family, and friends.”
Following that calling, Dawn brought her knowledge as an ICU nurse to a resilient team of nurses caring for COVID patients at the M Health Fairview Bethesda Hospital.
“We were scared,” Dawn said, “but we were scared together.”
Even during the darkest days of the pandemic, Dawn found hope from the strength of her nursing team. Now, she continues to care for critically ill patients in the ICU at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center, many of whom are intubated or medically sedated. Even when they are not able to speak, Dawn loves learning about her patients from pictures or stories shared by family while she is at their bedside.
“It’s my hope to not only provide top level critical care, but to also provide patients with a sense that they are safe, heard, and loved,” said Dawn. “It’s my duty to support patients and their families as they navigate the often scary maze of a long-term critical illness.”
