My husband was admitted to the ward having been transferred from another facility by ambulance, very ill. We were immediately met by Anitha who was reassuring, calm and professional. He was only on the ward for 3 days before he sadly died. Everyone did their very best for him and for us at such a sad and distressing time. However, Anitha, who was working the 3 nights while he was on the ward just 'shone'! She had that extra 'something', so calming when he was distressed and afraid, so gentle with him, a truly dedicated nurse. My husband could not talk much at the time and had to wear a large oxygen mask for one of the days. I could not remove it myself when he needed to cough up 'stuff' from his lungs and mouth. He was upset but Anitha was always quick to respond to help him. His mouth felt dreadful because of his treatment but she was always there for him when the mask needed to be undone so he could take sips of water. On one occasion Anitha helped him take some tea from a spouted cup. He opened his eyes, having taken a drink, looked straight into her eyes and gave a big, beaming smile as if she was an angel. This was the first and last smile he gave anyone whilst he was there on the ward. That moment will stay with me forever. Anitha's love and care extended beyond my husband to us, his family, who were obviously deeply distressed. She gave us comfort and support along with much-needed cups of tea, coffee, and biscuits to keep us going. She was always there for us during the night when we took it in turns to sit by his bedside. They were such long nights.
I know that my husband would want us to recognize Anitha, our vision of the most dedicated caring nurse, full of love and empathy, a true gem and Angel.