Annie is one of the most phenomenal nurses I’ve ever met. She was my overnight nurse for most of my last hospital stay. You know when you meet someone, and you just feel a connection. That’s how it felt with Annie, she has a healing and calming energy that is unlike anyone I’ve ever met. When you’ve had as many nurses as I have, you can quickly tell the good ones from the bad ones, and she is a good one. Each night she came to my room with such a positive energy and asked about how my day had gone. When I didn’t feel heard or understood she advocated for me. She helped me advocate for the meds I needed and normally take at home. She made me feel comfortable asking her about how to handle that. Then one night I had an emergent bleeding situation and she handled it so calmly and patiently I was in awe. She allowed me to step into the patient role I should be in, instead of fighting to take care of myself when I couldn’t. She made me feel safe and like I wasn’t alone. Each night of my stay I looked forward to spending time with her…which is critical for a social person who’s stuck in the hospital. We shared stories and talked about relationships and the challenges of my terminal illness. She made my stay enjoyable…when I had to return to the hospital a few days later, I was sort of hoping against hope to end up back in the transplant unit because of the excellent care and experience I had there. Annie is an asset to UW in so many ways. I hope she gets recognized by patients, staff, and her leadership for the way she does her job. Annie is incredibly smart, engaging, and sincere. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have spent time with her, especially at such a critical time in my life.