Our mother was diagnosed with stage four cancer three years ago. While her condition has been largely stable, we learned that the cancer had returned to her brain and needed radiation. However, one of the tumors was too large to radiate and showed signs of bleeding so she was scheduled for brain surgery. During her stay, in addition to the debilitating pain, the medicine that she was given created horrible anxiety attacks that prevented her from sleeping.

Madeleine's (Maddy) care during these long nights, to include showering my mother at 1:00 am to try and provide relief and sharing sleep podcasts, was a blessing beyond compare. She was giving, gracious, attentive, and kind. Words cannot describe how grateful we are for the dignity that she showed my mother, a 70-year-old/young spark plug who went from running eight miles a day to being unable to walk and see within a period of five days.

In health care, our family realizes that the people you are treating are often far removed from the people that we cherish so Maddy's gentle care for our family's North Star was an answer to one of our many prayers. Our family, and especially our mother, are humbled and grateful that she found her calling in nursing because she will make the world a better place one patient at a time.