I was a patient at HOCC New Britain after my recent pneumothorax (collapsed lung) reopened. I had a chest tube placed for the second time in a one-month span. During my stay I had a nurse named Kayla. She was friendly, kind, personable, accommodating and - above all else - she was rooting for me. While there wasn't necessarily a concern for my life it was more just the discomfort of a hospital stay and not being able to move much with a tube in my chest so that my lung could be re-inflated.

Kayla always went above and beyond to make sure that I had what I needed to make me as comfortable as possible. Not all the nurses gave me their personal call numbers but Kayla gave me hers and I was able to call her directly for anything that I needed. People don't go to a hospital to have fun but it's nurses like Kayla that can have passing conversations and sprinkle a little fun into your day to cheer you up despite the circumstances. I genuinely believe that the best nurses radiate a positive healing energy that can help patients. That was definitely Kayla.

When I learned that she was going to be my nurse again on the 2nd day that I stayed I was incredibly relieved. During my time there, Kayla pressed the Doctors' Surgery Team and Radiology to make sure that I wasn't being forgotten and that everything was being done to get me to the next steps of treatment and to get me home as soon as possible. When I was discharged she walked me out and in true Kayla fashion left me with a positive uplifting conversation. She truly advocates for her patients and that is a welcome change from where the healthcare world is today. God bless you and thank you, Kayla.