I would say that one experience, while not singular, was exemplary. Maia was the Registered Nurse who cared for me. She is originally from Sweden and was my nurse during a time when I was in considerable pain following surgery and at a time when even simple motions were beyond my abilities.

What causes me to mention Maia is that she had an appreciation of how incapacitated and vulnerable I was. When my mouth was dry from the tube inserted down my throat, Maia stopped her important work to attend to my comfort. She has a recognition of how this discomfort and my inability to help myself were momentarily important enough for her to stop what she was doing and immediately render aid in the form of a wet swab, and she applied Vaseline to my lips without my having to ask. These are small gestures among the many during her shift at the PCU. While all my nurses were great in the care they gave, what set Maia apart, even a little, is that I sensed that her focus was on me and my comfort first. Not that her other duties weren’t important, Maia exemplified patient focus in how she interacted with me.