I was in an accident requiring emergency surgery and then a several day recovery in the ICU. Melissa was my nurse when I arrived to ICU after surgery and cared for me late into the night as my condition went from stable to critical in a matter of hours. I was resting comfortably with good pain control when she noticed I had begun to bleed from one of my chest tubes. My family was frightened by the amount of bleeding which had subsequently dropped my blood pressure. During the whole situation, she remained calm as she managed the situation and kept constant communication with my family. She was my advocate as she spoke to the surgeon many times to impress the urgency and danger in my current condition. She never gave up until I received the multiple blood products I needed to stabilize my blood pressure and stop the bleeding. All of her care was simply above and beyond the call of duty. Especially when caring for me required her to stay well past her shift ending.

I will always be grateful for the attentive, thorough and compassionate care I received from her. It was amazing to have someone who didn't know me to care so much about my well-being. She would not leave until she knew I was going to be okay. Thank you Melissa, you saved my life.