He could have been anyone's typical GI patient, a 65-year-old male with typical chronic medical issues following up with GI clinic for typical GI complaint of persistent abdominal pain and discomfort in January 2022. It could have been caused by anything musculoskeletal pain, abdominal gas, arthritis, or any number of the typical reasons. His prior workup did not reveal anything significant but that did not stop Marissa Narr's (CRNP DNP) pursuit to help this Veteran. She ordered abdominal imaging like many of the providers that had seen the patient before but this time it showed an unexpected mass in the Veteran's bladder. Although the mass, albeit small, she notified the Veteran's primary care provider, and Urology was consulted. Marissa's instinct as an experienced nurse practitioner told her that this situation required more immediate attention; she took the initiative to keep in frequent communication with the Veteran and expedited his follow up imaging and cytology that the Urology clinic would need to evaluate and treat the patient in the quickest and most efficient way possible all while keeping the Veteran, Urology, the PCP, and GI attending informed of the evolving situation. Marissa's sense of urgency helped to detect and accurately diagnose a high-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma and expedite the surgical removal of the bladder cancer within 3 weeks of the initial imaging by incorporating her skills of effective team communication persistence and attention to detail. I had the pleasure of seeing this Veteran yesterday at his GI clinic follow-up and heard firsthand his immeasurable gratitude to Marissa for saving his life. He praised Marissa's diligence and spoke about how he felt that she advocated for his care just like they were family. I feel that Marissa is a shining example of how VA nurses and nurse practitioners make our Veterans proud to receive their care from VA Pittsburgh.