I have a chronic autoimmune disease that is quite aggressive and, therefore, have had to have many surgeries to alleviate my symptoms. The surgery I had recently was not the first and is unlikely to be the last. Coming into this hospital stay, I was the most anxious I had ever been as I knew what to expect pain-wise and the tedious recovery ahead. I knew the first day and night would be the hardest, but what I didn’t expect was the extremely kind and caring Nurse Lydia to look after me in such a way that made the whole experience far less uncomfortable than my previous surgeries had been. Although the surgery itself could not be changed, I learned through the extraordinary care I got from Nurse Lydia that the kindness, gentleness, and patience of a nurse can make a painful experience into a very manageable experience. Usually, the first time a new dressing is put on after surgery it can be quite painful, but I was blown away by how gentle Nurse Lydia was and how careful her every move was to ensure I was comfortable the whole time. She never rushed anything and always explained what she was doing, and the whole time, she made me feel so calm and safe. Considering how high my anxiety was coming into surgery, I couldn’t believe how calm I was afterward and I know it had a great deal to do with the empathy and high level of care Nurse Lydia provided. I couldn’t be more grateful to Nurse Lydia, not only for making what could have been a very stressful experience into a calm one but for giving me confidence that in the future, if I need more surgery, I will be able to manage with help of wonderful nurses like her.