My mother was admitted to St. V with a brain bleed. For the most part, everyone we encountered was wonderful, however, one nurse was above and beyond the rest, and that was Kelly. This nurse noticed, from the moment her shift started and she met my mother, that something wasn't right. She immediately ensured the neuro team was notified and my mom was sent off for a CT. Because of her prompt action, my mom had an emergency brain surgery that morning that saved her life.

Kelly was her nurse for several shifts over the following days. She was absolutely amazing with my mother's care and in keeping me up to date with what was going on. Kelly has a sweet, sincere, caring, calm, understanding, and loving demeanor. She is exactly what St. Vincent should hope for in all employees who wear the St. Vincent name badge. Her compassion can be seen in her eyes. Her empathy can be felt without words. Dealing with neuro patients is touch and go and not an easy area to be in every day. I'm sure the stress level is higher than average. When this nurse was on shift, I felt better. I knew my mother was being cared for by someone who sincerely had her best interests in mind. She is so attentive and dedicated to her patients and their families.

Even though the ICU is a busy place to be, Kelly made it seem like my mom was her only patient. She got to know my mom, talked to her, and was involved, which helps patients get better and excel in recovery more than any therapy ever could. When you know you've got a wonderful nurse, you feel safe when your family can't be there, and someone is actually listening and talking to you and not at you; that's a whole new level of nursing. Kelly made sure my mom had what she needed to feel comfortable. I saw her find my mom's earplugs so she could sleep. I watched her cover her, up tuck her in with her blankets, and make sure she was warm. She made sure she was clean. She brought her a toothbrush before she could even ask. She made sure my mom had what she wanted to eat and drink. She even offered to put her drinks we brought her into a fridge so they'd stay cold. She brought my mom ice and water before she ever had a chance to run out and have to ask. Any time I called the nurses' desk and Kelly was on shift, she was wonderful at corresponding, giving me up-to-date feedback, and keeping me in the loop with my mother's status. I never had to wait and wonder. Somehow it's like she was right where we needed her to be....always. She's amazing!

Over the week we were at St. Vincent, we dealt with the ER, ICU, trauma neuro team, neuro 5th floor, and plenty of other teams and areas. As I mentioned before, the majority of people we encountered were wonderful. The one that shined above all was, without a doubt, Kelly. To stand out among greatness deserves recognition. I can't express well enough in words how much we appreciate everything she did! I've been a St. Vincent patient myself for many inpatient and outpatient surgeries, had all of my children at St. V, and dealt with many locations over the years. I've never had an experience that was so extraordinary that I took the time to stop and acknowledge someone until today. 

Being a nurse these days and times isn't easy, but you'd never know that when Kelly Garcia is on the job. That's what you need more of, and that's definitely what patients hope for when they're going through a scary and possibly life-threatening experience.