It is always a sad thing when someone misses their calling in life and ends up working in something they were not meant to do. I have seen it many times so I feel confident when I say that the Cardiac ICU Nurse Margaret Hopkins is doing the work she was meant to do. She excels at all the many aspects her job requires with a smile on her face the entire time. My husband was sent to the hospital for a heart procedure, after miserably failing a stress test and having an ongoing problem with shortness of breath. What we thought was going to be a fairly routine procedure turned into him being admitted and scheduled for open-heart surgery at 7 AM the next morning. We were stunned, to say the least. We live over an hour away, so I was alone in the waiting room during his 8+ hour surgery. Margaret came out to talk to me and reassure me the entire time. She took me to his room once he was back in the ICU–preparing me, reassuring me, and explaining his situation. Margaret was his nurse for the next several days and her consistent care of my husband's medical needs, her care and concern for his comfort, and her kindness went above and beyond what was expected of her. Her take-charge attitude instilled confidence in me, so I knew when I went home at night, he was receiving the best possible care. Margaret's personality was commendable. No matter how many hours she had already put in, she was super friendly, funny, and took the time to thoroughly answer all our questions with easily understood answers. She was always positive and energetic. Her encouragement really helped my husband get up and walk for the first time after his surgery. Her whole team displayed her energy when she was there, with people consistently checking on any needs he may have, and mirroring Margaret's positivity and steady competency. The staff and nurses in the CVICU were all incredible. I would like to thank each and every one of them, but it was Margaret's care and compassion, knowledge, professionalism, reassurance, and encouragement that really turned an extremely stressful situation into an event we could handle and feel confident about the future. Thank you to everyone at Penn Highlands for the excellent care my husband received. Our gratitude to all–especially Margaret Hopkins!