Maria is a nurse extraordinaire. She started her Kaiser Permanente nursing career in June 2015, as a new grad. We have witnessed her compassion on numerous occasions. She has warm, caring relationships with our patients. She puts them at ease when they are nervous, encourages them when they have made strides, engages with their family who have come to their loved ones, and genuinely expresses her empathy. Whenever she is off, our patients always ask if she is OK and when she will return.
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Maria was my first nurse when I was brought up from the emergency room to my bed. She always has a smile on her face and a happy hello. Somehow she always anticipated my every need. Amazing! Maria saw that I was worried about my condition. In fact, I told her that I was really scared. She said everything will be OK and not to worry and God would take care of me. By this time, I was getting emotional. Then without skipping a beat, Maria took a small item off of her wrist. She said, "Here, this is for you and it will keep you safe." I told her that I could not take it because it was hers. She said that I needed it more than she did. That made me cry all the more. Such an unselfish act to a total stranger. The bracelet had a religious medal attached to it. Then she took my hand in hers and said, "you will be fine" while patting and squeezing my hand. It was the end of her shift and she needed to leave. Maria then said that she would be back tomorrow to check on me. I was later moved from the 4th floor to ICU for monitoring. Sure enough, the next day Maria found me and came to me. God bless Maria. She is an angel.