Jean Marie Young Blood, RN, BSN

My mother, Ann Marie Kulick, was admitted to Regional Hospital due to concerns with rapid weight loss, extreme fatigue, and lack of appetite. She was assigned a bed on the eighth floor where Jean Marie was her assigned Nurse.

I currently live in South Carolina and didn't have the ability to visit my mother when she was admitted. Whenever I called to request information, Jean Marie was pleasant and provided updates that were helpful, and I never felt she was rushing me off the phone.

I drove up from South Carolina because I was not getting answers from her primary doctors. Our 81-year-old mother was a patient for 16 days. Mom was on a roller coaster; we never knew what to expect. Everything was new and frightening to us as we watched her struggle to live.

Through it all, Jean Marie was there, working tirelessly, diligently, helping Mom and us understand issues and ramifications. She patiently explained things to us, sometimes more than once, until we got it. Of utmost importance to her was Mom's comfort.

Jean Marie was also concerned about each of us as we went through our own emotional, exhausting roller-coaster rides. We looked forward each day to seeing Jean Marie, as did my mother. She obviously cared deeply for Mom.

Every day, her knowledge and skills were evident. For example, when we were told Mom had acute leukemia, Jean Marie sat down with me and explained what we may expect in her treatment, as she was previously an oncology nurse.

Jean Marie's tireless, devoted, and skilled passion for our mother's well-being made a huge impression on us. She stood out as a nurse willing and able to go beyond the normal call of duty.