Michelle’s passion for nursing never failed to encourage me and bless me. For example, when she was my nurse, she always arrived with a genuine smile and expressed her happiness to be my nurse for the day. Although I could not see her smile through her mask, her smile shone in her eyes. At the end of the day, she always stopped by to say goodbye and that she would see me tomorrow, which gave me something to look forward to through the long night.

One night when I was particularly upset, she came and sat with me. After we talked, she handed me my bible and suggested that I spend some time reading. That is just what I needed that night.

On the day of the statewide tornado drill, I was very sick. Rather than insisting that I move to the hallway, she ensured that my room was safe and checked on me frequently. She stated that if it had been a real tornado, after making my room safe, she would have thrown herself on me to keep me from harm.

Even though dealing with her own family crisis at her home in Michigan, she continued to perform her duties with care, compassion, and dedication despite concern for her own mother. It is her true love and compassion that sets her apart as an exemplary nurse to me and the patients she cares for.