Heather has been one of my infusion nurses since January. She also works at UMH-West's main hospital, and despite seeing hundreds of patients and hospitals always being flooded/ busy, she took the time to drop by before my surgery and wish me luck. Honestly, that morning had been an overall awful day, and it meant so much to see a smiling, encouraging, and familiar face at the hospital, especially when I wasn't even her patient at the time.

After my recent round of sepsis, Heather also shared her own story with breast cancer and infections, and during a season where I felt lost and isolated, her compassion and empathy reminded me I wasn't alone and gave me a space to be seen, heard, and known. Thank you for listening to my incessant rambling multiple times a week, and for taking the time to ask (and remember!) things about my life beyond just clinical diagnosis. I've been in and out of hospitals for years, and Heather is truly special in the way she breaks through the white-washed, uniform walls of a hospital and takes the time to truly see and recognize her patients as unique, valuable individuals. Every week, I watch her greet infusion patients by name and remember facts about their lives, and it is continually a reminder to me of what medicine can look like when a nurse is willing to go above and beyond. Heather listens, feels sorrow alongside her patients, and holds this in tension with joy, hope, and gratitude for life.