In the past year, I have been in the ER over thirty times. I woke up short of breath, and I walked into the ER. A few hours later, I was admitted for electrolyte abnormalities and telemetry monitoring and taken upstairs. I was expecting to have my symptoms dismissed because I am a young woman with a medical condition that I gave myself. But my nurse, Kathleen, walked in and immediately sat down in the chair next to the bed. She took the time to have a conversation about what brought me in and how I was feeling. Because of how intentional the conversation was, I quickly opened up to her about my eating disorder and how it was a relapse. In the past, nurses and doctors have treated me differently because I was anorexic. But Kathleen was non-judgmental and responded with curiosity. I could tell that she wanted to know more so she could help me better. She made me feel like I was worthy of good care and did not judge me based on my history. I was not just some frequent flier patient to her; I was a human being who was scared and just wanted help. She made me feel emotionally safe, and like I was taken seriously. I felt like I could close my eyes and rest for the first time in months.

I could tell that she is a mother by her amount of compassion. She empathized so deeply with me, knowing that my mother wasn’t there, and told me that I shouldn't have to be alone. She told me that as a mother herself, she would want to be there if it were her daughter. At that moment, I realized this wasn’t a fight I had to take on my own. She even offered to call my mom for me. And if anything had happened to me, I would have wanted Kathleen to be the one to tell her.

Nurses are the heart of every hospital. Kathleen is one of those nurses that I will remember for the rest of my life. She cared about how I was feeling and checked in on me more than what was required of her. I nominated her for this award because of the ways she went above and beyond. Kathleen exemplifies what it means to be a healer. Her care is part of the reason that I am standing here today, 15 pounds heavier and with a normal heart rhythm. Thank you, Kathleen.