The first day I met Karla was on the day of the move to UMCPP. She was the nurse assigned to check in each patient as they came into the atrium prior to going to their room. I remember being introduced to her and said to myself "what a nice smile and friendly face" who else better to have as the first person to see when coming in the front door on opening day!

I work at Lenox Drive and had not seen Karla since opening day. Recently, my 17 year old daughter was in the out-patient lab. Everything from this visit went wrong from the moment she was called back. She needed several vials of blood drawn and was feeling very uneasy and light headed after the last tube was drawn. I started to panic as it looked like no one was doing anything to help her. I ran to get cool paper towels from the bathroom and a quick thinking lab employee ran next door to the MFM.

The next thing I know is that person I remember as the nice smile and friendly face appeared. Karla ran over to help my daughter. I explained I was the mother, and that I did not work in the lab; however I did have my ID badge on. I told her I was not familiar with lab protocol. She was very attentive to my daughter and tried to help her thru the queasiness. She started talking to her and calming her down. She provided reassurance and remained vigil by her side until she was feeling better. She told her she had a 16 year old son who used the expression "YOLO" which brought an immediate smile to a more than embarrassed 17 year old. She escorted her to the bathroom and waited for her to come out.

When my daughter was ready to leave she gave her a big hug and told her the warning signs and what she should do if she felt dizzy later that afternoon. In my opinion, Karla went above and beyond the call of duty, within a department she did not even work for. Her bright smile and friendly face will not be forgotten during an unfortunate experience. Karla is the perfect example of what UMCPP strives for.