Avery took care of my husband in the ICU of St. George Regional Hospital. The first thing I noticed in the exceptional care that Avery gave to my husband was that she talked to him and told him each thing that she was going to do for him. He had been intubated when he was transferred from another hospital, so he was totally sedated at the beginning of his time in the ICU in St. George.

I thought to myself, as she was talking to him, and wondered whether he could even hear her or not. I didn't know, but it was very inspiring to hear Avery talk to him. She really cared about him as a person, not just another body she was taking care of. As I was able to interact with Avery, we found a fun connection with each other. She had gone to high school with some of our children and had been involved in some of the same activities at school. She was so excited to have this connection. During the two days that Avery cared for my husband in the ICU, she went the extra mile in every step of his care. She did extra little things for him to be comfortable. As he came out of sedation, she made sure he was comfortable. When my husband signaled that he wanted to write something down, she immediately found some paper, a clipboard, and a pen for him to be able to communicate with us more easily. She also found some laminated cards with questions/words on them that I could ask him, so he could tell us what he was feeling or wanting to express. I found that to be so helpful. I was grateful.

When the doctor came in the room on his rounds, he expressed that he was very pleased with my husband's progress in fighting the serious illness that was in his body. Avery was so happy to know that my husband was doing so well. I never felt like Avery was just doing a job. It felt like she really loved her job and gave her every effort in the care she gave my husband. The feelings I felt from her were confidence, compassion, and genuine caring. When Avery was completing her last shift for that week, she expressed that my husband would probably not be in the ICU the following Friday when she came on shift. Thankfully, on the following Thursday, he was moved out of ICU to another floor in the hospital. The next day, Avery called my husband's room and talked to him.

We felt she truly cared for his welfare and well-being. She was so grateful that he was doing so well. We are so grateful for this wonderful nurse, Avery, that cared for my husband. We know she was really busy while she was caring for him because she had two other ICU patients that she was caring for, but we felt like she spent much time and effort in my husband's care, and we felt like she was 100% present while he was in her care. Thank you so much for the care my husband received at St. George Regional Hospital.