When Haley came on shift my day got brighter. I'm nonverbal and I write on pen and paper to communicate. Without fail, she took the time to wait for me to write out things and she didn't mind if they went beyond nurse-type stuff. It was stuff like being able to laugh and joke with her about dumb things like you would do if your sister or your best friend were there. This is compassionate at its best because it's seeing me as a person, not just a patient.

I struggled with an encounter with another staff member and I was pretty upset. Haley came in listened to my concerns and helped me through them. I'm honestly not sure what she did behind the scenes, all I know is that it was effective because when that person came to my room again it was better. Also, she took the time to help her coworkers understand my needs (I have a yellow tablet that I use to communicate with when a new staff would come in she would kindly yet matter-of-factly point to it and say something like, “She knows what she needs and can hear she'll just write it out for you.”)

When Haley was there I felt safe and well cared for. I knew that whatever could happen it would be okay because we would get through it together. I honestly had fun when she was around; we joked around a lot! This was a lot awesome during what could have been a very scary time in life. Haley remembers the little things that matter like closing curtains and learning how my left side moves or doesn't move. She's consistent and predictable; you know that she's going to do as she's promised like check with the doctor about tummy medicine. She does the yucky stuff matter-of-factly and doesn't wait for a CNA to do things like helping me with toileting needs. I'll always remember Haley and the blessing she was during a tough time.