I am writing this letter to thank each and every one who cared for me during a difficult time. I do not remember everyone’s name, so please do not feel left out. Nilusha, Jerry, Ama, Jane, Hasti, and all the staff members. Thank you all! What an outstanding team you are! You all give your best with so much care and so much concern. This is not just a job for you. I’ve been truly blessed to be in your care. 

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I am so grateful that my husband was assigned to 2A after his stay in the ICU. He is on the road to recovery in less than a week after being rushed to the ED unresponsive. His recovery is due in no small part to the professionalism and caring attitude of the staff of 2A. The staff and managers are very compassionate and not hurried, but take time to understand how the patients are feeling. They do their best to make them comfortable while ensuring proper treatment and safety. Kudos to the management for setting a patient-centric tone and to the staff for ensuring that everyone gets the type of treatment and attention that is needed for recovery.

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I was recently admitted to Shady Grove Hospital for sepsis and severe cellulitis. I was immediately given a bed in 2A and stayed there for over 10 days. During this time, I was extremely feverish, routinely unaware of my surroundings, experienced significant soft tissue swelling, struggled with the oxygen and fluid in my lungs, and developed a blood clot (DVT). Needless to say, as a young father of two and a husband, I was completely unable to take care of myself or my family. It was hard for me, but it was terrifying for my wife who stayed by my side the entire ordeal. While my team of nurses knew how to handle the daily requirements of their job responsibilities and my care, they demonstrated a culture of care that I could hardly believe had I not lived through it, experienced it, and been the recipient of it. They didn't just meet the daily requirements of care; they excelled far beyond them and took the time, patience, intention, and concern to make my wife and I feel sure that they had it all under control for us. Each day was filled with moments to reassure us that everything would be ok. My care team knew how to address every minutia of my stay.

Enuolare, or 'Lare,' was a kind and very experienced nurse who immediately impressed me with her veteran know-how and confidence that we desperately needed to see.

Erica was constantly thinking ahead of what I would need, routinely bringing me huge amounts of ice and water before I would inevitably ask for more. She was an expert in allowing me to get maximum rest and sleep during night shifts and never missed a chance to do something or get something without me even asking. She was a mind-reader!  

Hyun Ho Lee, or 'John,' was amazing, always attentive to any needs and expertly reviewing any changes in prescribed medications, explaining their roles and effects, and making my wife and I confident in being educated on every dose.

John and Erica seemed to have internal clocks where they never missed a completed IV drip. There's nothing worse than trying to rest while the IV drip beeps constantly and they were masters of that machine.

Shefali connected with my wife and shared funny stories and the news of her upcoming newborn. This friendship was critical for my wife to be able to relax and feel like she wasn't alone.

Monica was a sweet technician always bringing a smile to every single vitals check and calling us by name and intentionally asking about improvements and changes throughout my time there. She went beyond just vitals checks and constantly looked to bring me any additional supplies or comforts when she was working.

Mawa was fantastic! She was training a nurse every shift she was assigned to me and somehow made it look easy to train another professional at the same time as making me feel like I was the only patient on earth and that my care was the most important thing to her every day. She gave strong and precise shift reports and demanded the incoming care take over at the same level she maintained.

Andrica was a sweet and attentive nurse who also befriended my wife discussing her interests and career and providing relief in moments of real concern while I was in a scary state. All these people provided care that was essential to my speedy and efficient recovery.  Not one of them could be left out.

During a severe dip in my oxygen levels, rapid response nurse Chelsea was kind and patient to explain our options and what was happening. She promoted our self-advocacy and brought us the tools we needed to understand what was happening and the course to recovery.  

Kasey and Suena led these teams by daily checking in with my wife and I and meticulously addressing questions and concerns we had, and also evaluating the care team's performance in a way that made us feel this was a real cohesive professional team that didn't settle for anything less than maximum efficiency and care! Kasey and Suena helped paint a broad picture of what we were dealing with and it helped so much to get a perspective from further out.  

Finally, there was Hannah, who was the captain of this army of saviors and helped my family and me through such a tough time.  She connected with us over our kids, our hometown, our situation and always, ALWAYS, made sure we had any and everything we needed. She simply wouldn't settle for my care team to be anything other than perfect.  And it mattered! I simply can't imagine having received any better care than without each piece of the amazing 2A team that I experienced at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center.