As the Hernandez family gathered for 16-year-old Anthony's final moments, nurse Cheryl Carlson offered to capture it with a hand mold. Since then, she has given a number of families a keepsake to remember their loved one. via RussellHaythorn
AURORA, Colo. — Ever since she can remember, Cheryl Carlson watched her mom and dad create things with their hands.
“I’ve worked as a nurse for almost 38 years, most of which has been in the intensive care unit,” she said. “When I’m here, I’m here for the family. I’m here for the patient.”“I was on my way home, I would have been there in minutes,” said Anthony’s mom, Jennifer Hernandez. “He could have just waited to talk to me. There is nothing harder than losing a child, and when your child completes suicide – it’s even harder because they made that decision.
“The time that [Carlson] would come into the room, I remember it so well,” Hernandez said. “Anthony wasn’t even able to respond, and every single time she came into the room, she addressed him with his name.” Nurse Carlson took the entire Hernandez family and placed their hands in a bucket of mold while they held Anthony’s hand.