I met Kay in May of 2022, and she played such an amazing role in my stay at Mayo Clinic. As a 22-year-old girl on the Oncology floor, I was battling some of the darkest days of my life. I truly believe God placed Kay in my life as my nurse, because he knew that’s when I needed her most. From the very first moment, she walked into my room, she made it so apparent that she cared for me not only as a patient but as a person as well. I had never met a hospital nurse with so much compassion. She sat in my room whenever she had the time and genuinely wanted to get to know as much as she could about me. She was so good at her job and was so diligent at staying on top of my pain, nausea, vitals, etc. She was there to listen to me cry when I needed to and always offered such encouraging advice. She stood by my side through every decision my family and I had to make and answered all the questions we may have had. She saw me as more than just a patient, and I felt so well taken care of under her care. She was my nurse the day I was sent to the operating room for surgery that ultimately saved my life from cancer. She not only played a major role in helping my family and me make the decision to do the surgery, but she also stayed by my side every minute beforehand to calm my nerves and answer any questions I had. I had been in the hospital for about a week at that point, and Kay walked in with a hairbrush and detangling spray and French braided my hair before the surgery. She was so gentle yet put so much effort into doing the hair -- it was probably the prettiest I had ever felt in a long time. She was there supporting me every minute leading up to the surgery and was there every minute after cheering me on when the cancer had been miraculously removed. Kay is one of those people that you never forget about, and I never have. I truly believe God put her in my life because he knew I needed the care and friendship that she portrayed to me every single day. I consider myself so lucky to have met her and cannot imagine what I would have done in that time of my life without her shining light on everyday in every way she could.

I found myself back in the hospital in January 2023 and was placed back on the same floor as I had been on the year before. My parents and I were in the middle of a prayer when Kay walked in and surprised us all. It was like seeing a friend that you haven’t seen in forever. I also found it so funny that she walked in during the middle of a prayer as if God was answering the prayer before we could even end it. We were all so happy to see her that we all gave her a hug and conversed for quite a while in order to catch up. She had actually become the Team Lead for 7 Central, meaning she made sure our stay was beyond pleasant in terms of keeping me completely comfortable. Although she wasn’t able to be my nurse, she went above and beyond to make sure I was well taken care of. As a young woman who has gone through everything I have, I look back on the people that I met along the way very often, and I can confidently say I will never forget Kay. She possesses so many admirable characteristics that have allowed me to view her as not only a friend but as a role model as well. I will never run out of great things to say about Kay, Mayo Clinic is so incredibly lucky to have her.