When you first meet Charles, you are instantly drawn to his charismatic smile, witty charm, and nice white hair. He can lighten the dimmest room on the darkest days with just his presence. I have had the pleasure of working beside Charles for a year now. Although I have been a nurse for nine years, he has taught me a wide range of skills and techniques in the emergency department, from turning the plastic on the ace wrap to medication side effects. If you need to know something about pretty much anything, Charles is your man.

His personality shines when he is in a room with his patients. Even on a busy night, Charles has no problem pulling up a chair and providing the patient with the attention they deserve. He engages with the patient, and you can see the tension and frustration release from them as they often expel a little laugh at one of his jokes. He goes beyond the question, “What brought you in today?” and gets to know the patient as if they were his friend or family.

One evening, we had a mother bring her nine-month-old son into the emergency department for falling down the stairs. With tears streaming down the mother’s face, she told us that her son had just learned to butt-scoot. The mother had turned her back for a moment to tend to her other child when her son fell down eight wooden stairs, leaving some abrasions to his forehead. As she was telling her story, Charles was engaged and gently holding the young son’s hand. The first words out of his mouth were of understanding, as he is the father of two children, and reassurance that we were going to take care of her son. In that moment, you could see the relief. Charles went on to tell the patient about his own children’s mishaps when they were young, bringing laughter to the room. As he gently provided care for the young child, he explained to the mother everything he was doing and why. When the neck brace did not fit the baby, he brainstormed the next best thing. As an onlooker, I was just soaking up every technique he did and explanation he gave. Charles advocated for the young patient and his mother to our physician that evening. After some testing and a few hours of close monitoring, the baby was allowed to go home. As the family was leaving, they made a point to stop and voice their gratitude to Charles.

This particular patient hit home for me because I also have a young son at home who will be learning to butt-scoot here shortly and although we take every measure to ensure our children’s safety, accidents happen. Charles treated this family with empathy, acknowledging their concerns and advocating for their care. Along the way, he taught me a skill with patience.

It is important to note that this was not a special incident for Charles. The care that Charles provided to the patient and their family that night is the care that he provides every patient that walks into our emergency department and I am blessed to work beside him.