My husband was admitted for a post-operative infection that resulted in us spending a week in the Med/Surg unit. The first several days felt very chaotic. His pain wasn’t well managed, and we didn't know what the plan would be moving forward.

On our third full day, we were assigned Kendra as our nurse. Kendra consistently showed up within 10–20 minutes. When we shared with her how frustrated and confused we were with having no idea what to expect, she didn’t hesitate to immediately start seeking answers and clarity for us. For the first time since our stay, we felt seen and heard.

She became our biggest advocate over the next 3 days. She always made it a point to check in, answered our questions, collected info from all of the specialties weighing in, and compiled it into something that made sense to us.

When I was too overwhelmed or upset to eat, Kendra brought me snacks. When I took a nap on the guest couch one day, she brought me warm blankets. Kendra consistently went above and beyond to make sure my husbdand and I were both comfortable and up to speed on what the next plan of action would be.

To us, she was everything you could hope for in a nurse. She was kind, compassionate, quick to respond with a good sense of humor and she truly made us feel confident that she was on our team.

I can’t imagine having gotten through the past few days without the care and support from Kendra. We will be eternally grateful that she went above and beyond to make an unpredictable and scary time much more bearable by walking alongside us each step of the way.

Thank you for making us feel valued and cared for, Kendra.