My husband had had a complicated procedure on a Tuesday in November. Michael became my husband's day shift nurse on that following Friday. When I left my husband one night, he was awake, alert and talking clearly. When I arrived at shift change the next morning, he was slumped over in the chair barely able to hold his head up and unable to clearly enunciate his words. When I asked what happened, I was told he had a rough night. His nurse informed me that he is prescribed a lot of medication at night. When the critical care doctor made rounds, he noticed a difference, but the doctors kept telling me people react differently to surgery. I knew something was not right with my husband. I kept repeating myself and it felt like this nurse was the only one listening!!! I asked for a list of medications my husband had received and Michael provided them to me. After reviewing the medication list, I believe he was overmedicated. This nurse got the doctor to come out and listen to my concerns. They changed his medications. It took until 5:00 pm that day for all the meds to wear off. This nurse showed teamwork by listening to the patient's family and contacting the doctor to make the change. This person also showed care and compassion because when they arrived the next morning, my husband was exhausted from no sleep the night before this nurse allowed my husband to rest for 45 minutes to an hour before coming in to do his morning assessment. Although Michael has only been a nurse for a short time, his care, compassion, and leadership were those of a nurse practicing for more than 20+ years!! This nurse never once lost his cool. Though my husband can be a challenging patient, this person met my husband where he was in his progress. My husband was seen as an individual, not as how patients generally do. Without Michael’s intervention, I believe either serious harm or a severe setback would have occurred in my husband's recovery from open heart surgery. I will be forever grateful for the great assistance and care this nurse provided for my husband!!!