Christen helped take care of my mother during a three weeks period of time after she had a hernia repair and small bowel resection. Christen was wonderful with mom and showed great compassion for her. Never once did I see Christen become overwhelmed or impatient with the many things she had to attend to with my mom. Mom not only had a foley catheter, but also had a preexisting colostomy bag, J-tube for abscess drainage following surgery, and an abdominal wound vac. Mom was unable to walk after surgery due to leg weakness and fluid volume in her tissue along with the many tubes she had in place. Christen helped find ways to help with mom's recovery including the placement of compression socks to aid in the shedding of fluid in her legs.

Christen always found ways to encourage my mom when mom felt like giving up. Mom celebrated her 86th birthday while in the hospital, and Christen arranged to have a piece of angel food cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream sent up to mom's room and had some of the other staff come and sing Happy Birthday to mom. This definitely put a smile on my mom's face. Christen exemplified what nursing is all about, the patient and their care. I for one am very thankful that Christen was there to care for my mother during a very difficult period in her life. Because of the great care Christen gave my mom, she was able to get stronger and eventually graduate to a rehabilitation facility to further gain her strength. Thank you, Christen, your persona and nursing qualities are greatly appreciated!