My dad has a whipple surgery and recovering perfectly fine on surgical step down unit. My sister and I visited four days later and he was sitting up cracking jokes like his usual self. Early the next day, unrelated to the surgery his heart stopped twice. We don’t know why. The heroic efforts from the nurses and doctors on that floor brought my dad back but he was critically Ill at that point and transferred to SICU.

Lynda was his nurse in the SICU and she was absolutely amazing. She treated my dad with so much compassion and was emotional support for us as well. I’m a nurse myself but I am not an ICU nurse. I do not know everything. This kind of nursing is a different language to me and I give Lynda and her colleagues all the credit in the world. Lynda took the time to explain things to me and my family when we had questions. I had to step out of my nurse shoes and be a daughter to my dad. It’s so difficult being on the other side of the bed. The next day Lynda was my dad's nurse again and I brought in a poster board of pictures so the nurses and doctors could see and get to know whom they were taking care of behind all the wires and tubes and noises. Lynda took the time to look at all the photos, get to know my dad, and also played his favorite music for him. It meant everything to us knowing that someone was taking great care of him when we couldn't be there.

As of today, my dad is still fighting for his life. We are preparing for the worst but we want to thank Lynda for truly making a difference in the nightmare I wish we could wake up from. Lynda is that nurse that special person who is doing exactly what she’s meant to do. Thank you.