Crystal A Agana
May 2023
Crystal A
Agana
,
RN
Plastic Surgery / Craniofacial / Wound Care
Cal State San Marcos
San Diego
,
CA
United States
It is readily apparent through our interactions with Crystal that she became a nurse because she genuinely wanted to help people. Luckily, she has never lost that passion.
My son was born in June 2022 in Okinawa Japan with a cleft palate. Crystal has proactively shuttled my wife and me through this challenging process ever since. She is a consummate professional but what sets her apart is her genuine care and human decency.
As background, over my 22 year career as a Marine, I have not had the greatest experiences with Navy medicine. I have filed my fair share of ICE complaints. So, after my son's medical condition was uncovered at his birth, our stress over the medical condition itself was compounded by the dread of navigating through this process within Navy medicine. As soon as we knew we were being transferred to southern California for treatment at Balboa, however, my wife and I were linked up with Crystal by email. She was immediately welcoming, informative, and responsive to our many questions about what to expect.
This has continued for approximately eight months now. Whenever my wife or I have a question, we know we can talk to Crystal and if she doesn't know the answer, she will find out for us. My wife and I have made numerous visits to Balboa at this point, although the surgery is still pending. Crystal always makes us feel welcomed and upbeat. All too often in certain professions (including my own - criminal law), otherwise-good people become numb to the fact that their "customers" are experiencing something extremely stressful or traumatic. A special few never forget that and they actively seek to help make these experiences as painless as possible. Crystal Agana is one of those special few.
One incident is worth recounting, as it perfectly sums up her character. My wife drove our infant son 90 minutes to Balboa for a long-awaited audiology screening to determine whether he had already lost some of his hearing due to his condition. This test was more extensive than expected; as my wife realized that our son was growing hungry, she suddenly realized that she had forgotten to pack all the necessary parts for his bottle (he is unable to breastfeed or feed out of a normal bottle). As such, she was 90 minutes from home, the testing was still underway, and she had no way to feed him. She called me in a panic not knowing what to do. I immediately called Crystal, even though I knew she did not work in audiology. She was, as always, completely empathetic and without hesitation told me she'd try to find one from another department. Fifteen minutes later, my wife texted me that Crystal had again saved the day and had quickly found her a special bottle from somewhere.
It is readily apparent through our interactions with Crystal that she became a nurse because she genuinely wanted to help people. Luckily, she has never lost that passion. We are genuinely thankful for the support she has provided to my wife and I throughout this process. And while I still sometimes complain about Navy medicine, I always add on "Except for Balboa. Balboa is amazing." - that's due to Crystal and her team.
As background, over my 22 year career as a Marine, I have not had the greatest experiences with Navy medicine. I have filed my fair share of ICE complaints. So, after my son's medical condition was uncovered at his birth, our stress over the medical condition itself was compounded by the dread of navigating through this process within Navy medicine. As soon as we knew we were being transferred to southern California for treatment at Balboa, however, my wife and I were linked up with Crystal by email. She was immediately welcoming, informative, and responsive to our many questions about what to expect.
This has continued for approximately eight months now. Whenever my wife or I have a question, we know we can talk to Crystal and if she doesn't know the answer, she will find out for us. My wife and I have made numerous visits to Balboa at this point, although the surgery is still pending. Crystal always makes us feel welcomed and upbeat. All too often in certain professions (including my own - criminal law), otherwise-good people become numb to the fact that their "customers" are experiencing something extremely stressful or traumatic. A special few never forget that and they actively seek to help make these experiences as painless as possible. Crystal Agana is one of those special few.
One incident is worth recounting, as it perfectly sums up her character. My wife drove our infant son 90 minutes to Balboa for a long-awaited audiology screening to determine whether he had already lost some of his hearing due to his condition. This test was more extensive than expected; as my wife realized that our son was growing hungry, she suddenly realized that she had forgotten to pack all the necessary parts for his bottle (he is unable to breastfeed or feed out of a normal bottle). As such, she was 90 minutes from home, the testing was still underway, and she had no way to feed him. She called me in a panic not knowing what to do. I immediately called Crystal, even though I knew she did not work in audiology. She was, as always, completely empathetic and without hesitation told me she'd try to find one from another department. Fifteen minutes later, my wife texted me that Crystal had again saved the day and had quickly found her a special bottle from somewhere.
It is readily apparent through our interactions with Crystal that she became a nurse because she genuinely wanted to help people. Luckily, she has never lost that passion. We are genuinely thankful for the support she has provided to my wife and I throughout this process. And while I still sometimes complain about Navy medicine, I always add on "Except for Balboa. Balboa is amazing." - that's due to Crystal and her team.