I am sorry it has taken me this long to sit down and write this thank you note to you as it is well overdue, however as Thanksgiving approaches tomorrow, I couldn't help but think of you and the time you gave us with our mom under your care. My mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in March 2017, underwent surgery and chemo, and did great. Unfortunately, over the years her cancer continued to come back in her intestines, and eventually in her liver. Despite multiple treatments with different chemo meds, her cancer cells were relentless. But, my mom never stopped fighting. She always stayed positive and had made her peace with the Lord for whatever His will was for her.

In July of this year, our family had some hard decisions to make as her CA125 continued to rise and her spirits began to drift away. She lost a lot of her independence as she became weaker by the days and eventually unable to ambulate on her own. She started having trouble breathing which is what led us to your ED. She was scheduled to have a paracentesis that Friday morning, but when we sat her up she became extremely short of breath and unable to communicate. EMS transported her to ER for evaluation only to find out that she had significant size blood clots in her lungs, most likely from the cancer.

I know you will remember us when I tell you that even through all of this, my mom kept seeing boxes of donuts in the hall and wanted to share them with you. You see, my mom always loved people and loved sharing desserts with them even more. That was her passion. At some point during us getting ready to transfer to a bed on PCU, her heart went crazy and you ended up calling a Rapid Response on her. Being a nurse, I knew as soon as I heard "Rapid Response, ER, Room X", this wasn't good. I could see the panic in your face, but my mom never did! She was asking why so many people were in her room and completely denied any symptoms. I will never forget the female physician showing you and me the results from her cardiac US/ Echo earlier that day and telling us that she had a life-threatening heart rhythm and most likely would not survive the night. You see, my mom and I had completely prepared that her life was nearing the end, but you had not. You had not lived all of the background chemo days and difficult conversations that the hospice nurses and cancer MDs that we had. Words can't describe how thankful I am that you cared enough for her and our family that as we discussed moving her to the 5th floor for comfort care, tears streamed down your face as if you were part of our family. We did, in fact, call in all of the family for final goodbyes that night and you allowed us to bend the rules enough so my dad, my sister, and all of her grandchildren had the opportunity to see her for what we thought was one last time. As you transferred us to her room on the 5th floor and handed off report, I'll never forget the hugs you gave with tear-filled eyes to me and my sister as you walked away to go care for other patients waiting in ER. No words were spoken, but they weren't needed. I knew by your eyes and hugs that you were hurting with us at that time and had become part of our family, if only for one night.

Now, here is what I really want you to know. The next morning, mom sat up in bed and said, "well, how are we going to celebrate today?" We all laughed and asked her what she wanted to do. Her response was, "Well I would say let's get the wheelchair and go walk the halls, but those people would see me and think, what in the world are they doing in this hospital. She's supposed to be dead!". This was my mom. They say most people get one rally day before they die. My mom got a whole rally month thanks to you. Mom passed away in October with my sister and me by her side. This Thanksgiving, although it is difficult without her here, I want you to know how truly thankful we all are for the care you gave us that Friday night in the ER. Because of you, we had four more weeks of time at her bedside for reminiscing, looking at old pictures, telling stories, with lots of laughter and tears. I wouldn't trade that last four weeks for anything in the world and I wanted you to know the outcome. If she were still here, she would probably ask me if I ever took you donuts. Maybe one day we will meet out somewhere and share some coffee and donuts in memory of her. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you do each and every day. I pray for you and your family to have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.

**This family came for the DAISY presentation and brought donuts.