There were many nurses who made a difference during my weeks at MetroHealth. All of them were exceptional. One of those who stood out was AnneMarie. She worked some day and night shifts during my stay. Something I remember quite well was when I was scheduled for sleep holidays. Some nights before her shift my holiday was disrupted repeatedly by some techs. When AnneMarie learned of this, she made a "don't disturb" sign for my door. Because of her, it was the first night of unbroken sleep I got. She listened to my needs and took action that benefited them. Even though it was the night shift and she had to do hourly checks, she was considerate of the sleep holiday. I never heard her enter the room to do her job which allowed me to get some much-needed sleep. When I did have to hit the call button, she responded quickly and was never annoyed. She allowed me to keep as much dignity as the circumstances allowed. This made an enormous difference to my mental state. The simple act of being able to clean myself up without having to inconvenience anyone allowed me to feel like a human again. She allowed me privacy when asked to leave when I had to have a breakdown. She stayed to listen when I had to ramble incoherently.

AnneMarie had time to take care of me. Some nights when it was slow, she allowed me to walk around supervised, on the neuro ICU floor so I could get out of bed for a few minutes. Standing in front of the windows, just looking out over the parking lot at night allowed me to take my mind off my situation. It was really a welcomed break.

It was AnneMarie and a few others that made the stay at MetroHealth feel less like being hopeless in the hospital. She should be proud of the exceptional job and level of service she is giving to the patients under her care. Thank you.