I was in the hospital in February of this year. Just 2 days prior to my admission here, my father had passed away. This was the first time a person close to me had passed. So while newly dealing with the death of my father, now I have to come to the hospital myself and deal with all of those fears and unknowns. I was quite overwhelmed with it all and felt at the time I couldn’t really grieve for my father, so I pushed those emotions down. I became a patient on the 5th floor where I was cared for by Melanie and others. I can’t remember how the topic came up but in conversation with Melanie, I began to talk about my father, and eventually his recent passing. Melanie sat with me, held my hand, and shared her own personal story of losing a loved one. Melanie allowed me to give myself permission to grieve and answered a lot of questions about how some days are good and some are harder than others. She made me feel like what I was going through and what I was feeling was normal, and that it was OK to grieve, even when I was trying to get better myself. I was kept in the hospital for another couple of days and was able to be dismissed the day before my father’s funeral. I was so worried that I wouldn’t be dismissed in time, but the care I received allowed me to heal enough so I could attend. I won’t forget how sweet Melanie was and that she took the time out of all the things she was doing to be present with me during a very trying and emotional time in my life. Just knowing that someone listened, held my hand, and was there for me, telling me it was ok to grieve, made a lasting impression.