I am a 51-year-old wife and homeschool mom of three boys. I am the heart and nurturer of our family. I am always taking care of others. I went from cheering at my son’s baseball game to being in excruciating pain one night. I had one week to mentally prepare for surgery.

My earlier trips to the hospital had been traumatic. My blood pressure and nerves were high upon arrival. I had my gallbladder removed. I prayed God would send me a nurse like my mom or a guardian angel to help me. I think he gave me both in Clayton.

My mom was always good about seeing the person’s emotions and healing this pain first. Clayton did not see me as a chart number. He saw me as a scared person. He told me, “I see your shoulders are all bunched up and your breathing is shallow. Let’s relax your shoulders and only focus on taking deep breaths together.” I was able to relax by focusing on Clayton. More importantly, the trauma and chaos of my earlier hospital visits is replaced by the time I met Clayton.