My precious husband, M, was 57 days past his Bone Marrow Transplant at Mayo Clinic. During a routine follow-up blood draw, he suffered a stroke. He went into respiratory distress and was admitted to the ICU. Within a few hours, he was on a ventilator and was connected to nine IV pumps. He had an arterial line placed and was in a medically induced coma. By the next day, the doctors were concerned about his kidney function and the decision was made to call out-of-state family members to begin their journey to say their final earthly farewells. Given that it was Thanksgiving week, travel was complicated.

Our nurse, Mary Kindred was one of the angels God sent our way to work His miracle in M’s life. She displayed great medical knowledge and was a tremendous resource for the entire team. She anticipated M’s needs and was compassionate with all of us in the worst moments of our lives. Mary was gracious in preserving M’s dignity when hygiene care was required. M’s mom was a nurse for 56 years. When she arrived at his bedside, she was quick to notice Mary’s skill and dedication. Mary continued to impress us all throughout our stay in the ICU. Mary never seemed to tire; she was as proficient at the beginning of the shift until she passed us off to the night shift. She consistently kept us informed and honestly and compassionately answered any questions we had.

We know that God answers prayers because we witnessed our own miracle with M who was soon successfully weaned from the ventilator and everything else keeping him alive. We are now looking forward to a full recovery. We thank our Lord for the miracle of healing and will always remember Mary as part of His plan in M’s healing.