My mother had been in the hospital for over a week in a state where she was unable to walk and unable to move or reposition without extreme pain. She had not moved in the multiple months before her arrival, which made any movement extremely difficult. Despite her tremendous fear of pain from previous experiences with other healthcare workers and her own health conditions, Kayla was able to give our mother a few great days where she was able to do more than we could have imagined possible at the time.

At home, my mother would not even lift her head or move a muscle, but with Kayla's help, she was able to stand, walk to the bathroom, and take her first real shower in months since her condition became too debilitating. She carefully dressed her wounds and was able to reposition her without causing her to call out in pain!

Kayla is the perfect combination of encouragement and respect, not forcing my mother to commit to moving around, yet not letting her give up so easily as some nurses do. She was not only helpful and caring, but also funny and enjoyable to have around. Many of the days our mother spent in the hospital were filled with tears, but when Kayla was around, she smiled and even laughed! She seemed to enjoy her job and her interactions with us. She sounded real, too, talking to my mother the way anyone would want to be talked to regardless of their condition.

Every hospital and clinic needs nurses like her, who make patients feel companionship, as well as feel cared for. She started our day out on the right path from the beginning, saying that it would be a good day. She took so much stress out of our day and showed us that our mother is capable of more than she thinks, as long as she has the confidence, and trust to do what she needs to do to improve. The best way to gain a patient's trust is with genuineness and a real desire to help, which Kayla definitely has.