Having previously worked as an ER RN at Hackensack University Medical Center, I understand that being a nurse at this facility comes with the challenges of high patient volume, high acuity, and being short-staffed. These challenges may prevent nurses from spending quality time with their patients, or prevent nurses from having enough time to communicate with family members. However, my mother's nurse, Franchesca, far exceeded expectations by being supportive during one of the scariest times in my mother's life - surviving a stroke. My mother was healthy before she suddenly experienced mild slurred speech. My mother initially didn't tell me about her speech because she didn't want me to worry, so I didn't find out until 36 hours after her symptoms came on. I felt so guilty for not being present and I was angry that my parents didn't tell me soon enough, knowing that my mother was already out of the window for possible interventions. While I was waiting for the MRI results, Franchesca gladly answered my phone call in a timely manner and answered all of my questions without hesitation. I was worried about my mother's poor appetite since she was admitted, and Franchesca immediately checked on my mother while she was on the phone with me, saw how little my mother ate, and encouraged her to keep eating to get stronger. She also advocated for my mother to be seen by speech therapy after I had concerns about my mother's problems chewing/swallowing. After I came to the hospital and found out my mother's MRI results confirmed her stroke, Franchesca was concerned about how teary-eyed I was and took the time to pull me aside into a private room and listened to me cry and vent about my frustrations. Franchesca exemplified the pillars of therapeutic communication by actively listening. She related the fact that my mother didn't want me to worry to her own experience as a parent not wanting her children to worry. Franchesca also took the time to learn about what my mother was like before the stroke, to which she said, "She reminds me so much of my mom." As healthcare providers, it is always encouraged that patients are treated like our own family members, so I knew my mother was in good hands after hearing Franchesca make that comparison to her own mother. At my weakest moment, Franchesca encouraged me to use my experience as a nurse to be an even stronger support system for my mother, and that immediately changed my perspective. Ultimately, Franchesca made me feel hopeful, at a time when I was feeling completely hopeless, not only in regards to my mother's treatment, but she refreshed my jaded outlook on the healthcare industry. In the five years I've been working as a nurse, I rarely see healthcare providers (of any specialty/scope of practice), take the time to genuinely get insight into their patients, and have a heart-to-heart with concerned family members. Franchesca was truly a beacon of light in the darkest days of my family's lives.