My dad is a Vietnam Army Veteran who was diagnosed with ALS in 2020. He has been under the care of his doctor and his nurse Debra Robertson ever since. As you can imagine, receiving an ALS diagnosis is devastating and scary for both the patient and the patient’s family. Everything is new and there is so much to learn and so many questions. As an only child and my dad’s primary caregiver, I had to quickly become his case manager and handle everything from scheduling his appointments and transporting him, helping him receive the benefits he is entitled to through the VA, and assisting with activities of daily living and so much more.

The entire ALS team has been outstanding, but the one person who has really stood out this past year is Debra Robertson. From the very beginning, Debra took the time to learn everything she could about Dad’s case and always treated dad with the utmost respect. During Dad’s visits, she takes the time to speak to him directly and listen to his answers, even though this can take a while as Dad is extremely hard to understand and needs to write out most of his communication on a writing tablet. Many people tend to talk to me instead of Dad since it is easier and quicker, but Debra always takes the time to speak to and understand him, and I know that means so much to him. Even when we are at the VA for an appointment that doesn’t involve Debra, she will always take the time to come out and greet dad and ask how he is doing if we see her. Debra is also quick to respond to my questions, issues, and needs as his caregiver. Every single time I have reached out to Debra via phone, email, or text, she responds amazingly fast, usually with an answer or solution. Over the holidays, I reached out to her via text and she actually responded even though she was not at the office and was with her family. That to me is a commitment to excellence!

While dad was in the hospital with a broken hip and then in a nursing home recovering, Debra was there every step of the way to help me coordinate care and alleviate my fears by giving me facts. On the occasions when she is busy, she will let me know that and tell me when she can get back to me.

With my dad’s ALS condition and other issues, we see so many providers and nurses, some excellent. But none go quite above and beyond like Debra does. I know that every nurse we see must have dozens or hundreds of patients that they see, and I always wonder how much they will even remember about us and Dad’s case. Debra knows us so well, that on a recent visit to the VA, she recognized me by voice! Dad and I were visiting a provider whose office we had not visited yet. We were a little lost, and one of the hospital volunteers was trying to help us locate the office down the long corridors of Malcolm Randall. Suddenly, from behind the office with the door ajar, I hear a voice say “Hi J and J! The office you’re looking for is 2 doors down.” A second later, Debra appeared, and as always gave us a warm greeting and spent a few minutes catching up with dad.

I could go on and on about how Debra serves her patients, but I think you get the idea. Navigating this horrible journey of ALS has been made a little more bearable with someone like Debra on our side. She is a true DAISY Nurse.