My son has a complicated medical history, and this is the reason for his being at Mayo Clinic for care as opposed to a local hospital. We have traveled the country for care. Most recently he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and has had two debulking surgeries at Johns Hopkins in Maryland. We have returned to our home state of Arizona as his prognosis is pretty dire. He is experiencing severe uncontrollable pain and now a brand-new issue with numbness in his hands. He was transported a few days ago to Mayo from Hospice as a last-ditch effort to find the source of pain and if it can be corrected.

Stress levels for us both are high and with each new shift of nurses, anxiety sets in not knowing what kind of personality he will get. Today he had an exemplary example of what a nurse at Mayo Clinic should be. As his mom, I am having a very difficult time being by his side watching him suffer. This afternoon when I came to visit, he (in his very ill state) boasted about the care that Katie provided today. She even used essential oils to help relax him; I have never heard of this at any hospital. He has literally had hundreds of nurses over the past 11 years (Loma Linda, St Joseph's, PCH, Cardons, Seattle Children's, Johns Hopkins, Columbia Hospital NYC) and has never wanted to write a thank you. He said, "Katie was very attentive and very kind, very helpful."​