I’m not even sure where to start with explaining what Katie and the care she gave means to me. I was a patient on 3 JCP for several weeks on multiple occasions. Being diagnosed with and treated for leukemia was overwhelming, to say the least. One of the first things that stood out to me about Katie was the way she clearly explained things, whether I had questions or not. She could anticipate the things that I might not know or understand and would give me small nuggets of information at a time, always just the right amount so I could understand it and retain it. She was so incredibly knowledgeable. And she was also incredibly kind and compassionate.

I would always get excited when I would hear she was going to be my nurse for the day. When I decided I was tired of my hair falling out and it was time for it to go, Katie told me I deserved a party, so she played music for me, and we jammed out while she shaved my head and trimmed my fingernails. Every time she was my nurse, and even when she was working but I wasn’t her patient, she would carve out time in her day to come to sit down with me and just chat. She listened to me vent, tell 1,000 stories about my kids, and cry if I needed to.

My vision was impaired from leukemia so she would read my messages and cards to me and help me with my phone or whatever else I needed. She would tell me stories and share about her life as well. She understood that since I couldn’t have many visitors, I needed that extra support and attention, and she was willing to go above and beyond to help fill that void for me. When my husband was able to visit a couple of times, she made sure to come to meet him and say hello because she knew that was important to me.

With her kindness and huge heart, Katie made a lot of hard days in the hospital a whole lot better. She not only cared for my body, she cared for my soul, too. And I will never forget that.