Earlier this year I became very ill and had to spend seven days in critical care while the doctors tried to diagnose my condition. The third night in CCU I became very short of breath and the respiratory therapist was beginning to consider intubation. Gaby said that there would be no intubation on her shift and set out to relieve my symptoms. I was so anxious, I could no longer guess at what I thought might make me feel any better. Gaby simply took over. She sat with me and talked with me to change my breathing pattern and calm my anxiety. She massaged my back to relax all of my muscles I needed to breathe. After she got me breathing better I was able to lie back down. I remember her washing my hair to get the smell of the Mucomyst out of it since that was making me nauseous. Later she brought me ice cream. These nursing interventions did not involve fancy equipment or PRN medications. They were simple, yet vital and thoughtful gestures that truly reversed my behavior that terrifying night and, I think, saved me from the ventilator. Gaby will always be my personal “Angel of Mercy”. I’ll never forget her kindnesses.