My 79-year-old mom was admitted a week ago for pneumonia. It was then that we received the news that, unfortunately, she also had Stage 4 Lung Cancer. Due to her advanced stage, the degree to which it had metastasized, and her extremely low oxygen levels, hospice care isn’t an option. Mama fell asleep last night at about 10 pm, and Lori has been in every 15-45 minutes doing everything she could to make Mama comfortable. She explained everything she has done along the way and what to expect as we prepared for her passing.

As I sit here in the quiet, knowing she’ll never wake up again, I’m so grateful that such a sweet girl was here to spend this time with me. She only graduated from nursing school nine months ago. Still, her level of professionalism, compassion, and empathy speaks volumes of her character. It is a great testament to the wonderful job her parents did in raising such an amazing young lady. I have no doubt that the next nurse that walks through the door at shift change will also be great, but Lori was here in the still of the night when my heart was breaking, and I was settling into the realization that at 59 years old, I was about to lose my Mama. For those few hours, Lori was Mama’s nurse, but she was my friend when I was here all alone—well done, Sweet Girl. Guard your heart, chase that thing that brings you joy, and know you are appreciated. Thank you for taking such great care of my Mama…and me.