I am a veteran of the armed forces, and have been associated with the medical portion of the VA for about ten years or so now. My wife and I moved from Ohio to Wisconsin a few years ago.
Of course, when one is dealing with as many health issues as I have, you meet many doctors, nurses, physician assistants, LPNs, office help and on and on, but to date, I have yet to meet someone who has stood by me and helped me more than Lisa at the Wausau clinic.
While we all seem to be living in a time filled with uncertainty, Lisa has been a constant for me. Each problem that has occurred, she has stepped up, addressed it, seen it to a conclusion. She carries herself with a manner both of dignity and integrity. She shines through with her pride in herself, and certainly with her work. She is quick thinking, astute to what's around her, and she leaves you with a confidence of a job well done.
Some months back, after having another bout of congestive heart failure and being put on oxygen, I was at the clinic for a follow up as well as the yearly checkup. Sitting in one of the rooms for patients going over things with Lisa, she heard a sound that was unfamiliar. She immediately looked at my oxygen tank and concluded it was leaking, and in fact, it emptied out. She ran and got another tank for me to use, one so I could breathe, and two so I could get home. She told my wife and me that we could return the tank when we come back. She even carried the bad tank to my car so that neither myself nor my wife would have to. I am speaking of the large heavy tanks, not the small carry around ones. She even went so far as to call later and check that all was ok.
Lisa is the type of person who more nurses could learn from. She never forgets we are human beings, full of flaws and frailties, that we are there because we have health problems and don't feel well, and regardless of how she might be feeling, she always greets me with a smile. A smile that says I am a warm human being and I care.