I am a nurse leader writing on behalf of a patient on my unit who wishes to nominate Ala Vega for being a truly amazing nurse. When completing patient satisfaction rounds, I stopped in the room of a long­ term patient, T, who has been a frequent resident on our unit due to her leukemia and other health concerns. When I asked if any staff stood out to her for recognition, T's face lit up and she quickly named Ala. T spoke of Ala's heart for caring, and how it is evident in every interaction that she loves what she does and has true compassion for her patients. T spoke of how encouraging Ala has been during her long stay, that her spirits have been down and it's hard to stay positive as the days drag on and she has to make difficult treatment decisions. "Ala has been there for me mentally and emotionally," she says, noting how important Ala's listening ear and empathetic engagement has been. T spoke about how Ala "radiates an aura of kindness that everyone can feel," and mentioned that even her visitors commented on Ala's exceptional care after a brief interaction with her. Ala goes above and beyond for her patients, not just meeting their physical needs, but providing extra measures of comfort, empathy, encouragement, and understanding. T shared that Ala had asked her mother to crochet a small angel doll for T after a conversation last week. This week, when T shared how much she missed her dog at home, Ala came with a crocheted "hot dog," a smiling Dachshund with fuzzy ears for T to cuddle when she missed her pup. "You can tell who's just here to do a job and who truly loves to care," T said. "Ala is an angel. I've been here long enough that I've met just about everyone, and Ala is special."