Although Miranda was my nurse for only 1 day while in the hospital, she was instrumental in saving me from a potential lifetime of quadriplegia. I had just gotten to my hospital room after undergoing a cervical spine discectomy/corpectomy and fusion. The surgery went well without complications, and I was being assessed post-operatively by Miranda in my room. That's when I noticed I couldn't feel my left thumb. I said something to Miranda, who immediately began asking me questions and evaluating the rest of my sensory abilities. Within minutes, the numbness progressed to my entire hand, then to my right hand, and I couldn't move either one. As this happened, Miranda got in touch with my surgeon (who was with another patient) and continued to evaluate me calmly but efficiently. These were frightening developments, but Miranda kept her cool, which helped keep me calm. Her professional manner and obvious understanding of the grave implications also helped my wife, a veterinary pathologist, who was in the room and also understood the critical nature of the situation. Next to go was the sensation in my feet and an inability to move my legs, followed by difficulty breathing. Miranda let the surgeon know the situation was urgent, and he arrived a few minutes later and whisked me back to surgery. I had suffered an unusual complication - a hematoma had formed in an unexpected location and was getting larger by the minute, pressing on my spinal cord and causing acute spinal cord trauma. Without immediate action by Miranda, and then by my surgeon, I would have had permanent damage to my spinal cord at the level of C6, which likely would have left me a quadraplegic (or worse). By the time I was through with the second surgery and returned to my room, Miranda had gone off her shift, but she stopped by to see me before I was discharged, and I was able to thank her in person for her excellent care. She is a credit to her profession and very deserving of this award.