I've been in St. Joseph's for over 10 months. I am extremely happy and relaxed when I hear she will be my nurse for the day. I have an extremely large wound which is very painful and I also suffer from severe nerve damage. When Cindy is my nurse I know I will have a good day. My comfort is her main priority.

We have a daily routine which is really nice to have. First of all she makes sure I get my medications at the same time every day, especially my pain meds, then she does my dressing change where she is extremely gentle, thorough and consistent which makes a huge difference since it is so sensitive. After that we change my sheet and she helps me with my bath and change my clothes. She also takes my vitals. She not only does her RN duties she does what the CNA's usually do and during that time we share experiences, talk about everything under the sun, laugh and sometimes cry.

My family and most of my friends live quite a ways away so they don't get here as often as they would like which means I don't have someone to bring things to me as often, but Cindy takes up that slack too. She has brought me many gifts and also does some shopping for me. She's a big part of my life here. That's one reason I'm nominating her for this award. Another is I can hear her interact with other patients. She is just as compassionate and kind with them-maybe not quite as much as with me but always a fabulous nurse making sure everyone is as comfortable as possible. She just always goes beyond her required duties.

You can tell she loves being a Registered Nurse because she is so great at it. An extremely compassionate nurse!