I am the grandmother of the patient, and I first met Grace Calma during my grandson’s three-month stem cell treatment. I was immediately drawn to her warmth and caring. She not only had a medical interest in him, but also a personal interest. She always came into the room and lit it up with her smile. She would go about her duties interacting with my grandson constantly. She always told him what she was doing and made him comfortable.

I remember one time during his stem cell stays, she and I collaborated on how to sneak Miralax into a drink that he wouldn’t refuse to drink. I brought a tiny funnel from home and we stood shoulder to shoulder hiding the fact that we were putting Miralax in the small juice box and reinserting the straw as if nothing happened! He was a sharp cookie and was always watching as to what was going on. He would call “grandma” and want me to play as we were finishing the Miralax cover-up. Lots of giggling occurred between Grace and me! There were many times that Grace and I brainstormed on how to get some of the awful-tasting meds down him instead of using the syringes, or just simply getting him to eat.

Grace would come in while we were kneeling on the couch looking out the window, trying to catch a sight of the Amtrack train passing through to Chicago. Next thing I knew, Grace was also peering out the window with us, or she would watch some of the train videos on the iPad. She was always so curious and interested in all that my grandson enjoyed. She discovered he loved a certain candy, in a certain candy wrapper, and ended up picking them out of the candy jar at the Nurse’s Station to give him.

When he had a bad turn during one of his stays, the emergency button had to be pushed on the wall, and Grace was in the crowd of staff that immediately responded. She immediately gave me a big hug to comfort me while the other medical personnel determined what action should be taken.

Upon discharge from his Stem Cell treatment, she brought him a gift bag to celebrate. When she found out that he had been admitted again, she sent up to his room a large bag of Panera for his parents. She was his nurse the last weekend he was hospitalized, and took such tender care of him, coming in hourly to turn him, freshen his pillows and towel rolls to keep his head from slumping. She also bought nail clippers for him and a hand squeezy to keep his hands busy.

Grace was with him when he passed away and she stayed at his side throughout all of the final protocols. Grace Calma is not just a good nurse, she nurses from her heart, and that made a world of difference with my grandson and his parents and family.