l would like to start with a huge thank you to Nila, from the bottom of my heart. The week of Christmas I found out I had a uterine fibroid that was wreaking havoc on my body. I also found out that at 38-years-old, my labwork was showing that my husband and I would most likely not be able to conceive a child on our own. This kicked off an emotional holiday which led into Pre-Op check-ups the week of New Year’s. This was not what I thought my start to 2026 would look like. As a self-proclaimed workaholic, who has time for surgery at the beginning of the year? I had never had surgery in my life, so as my husband pulled our car up to the St. Tammany Health System Surgery Center, my mind was a nervous wreck and I was trying to hold back the tears of fear.

I walked in to see a lovely lady at the check-in desk who provided me with my paperwork. She motioned that we could take a seat and wait for the nurse to call me. With my back turned to the door, I heard my name called. My initial thought was ‘Oh gosh. This is really happening,’ and a feeling of complete dread washed over me. I stood up and turned around. There was my first look at a woman God put in my life that morning for a reason.

Nila had the biggest smile and the warmest hello that immediately put my mind at ease. As we walked through the hallway, she gave us a detailed explanation of what the day was going to look like and tossed in some humor that really helped settle some nerves. I could tell Nila had picked up on the fact that I was nervous. She asked if I had ever had surgery before and asked how I was feeling about the surgery today. This wasn’t just a nurse asking for documentation. She stepped away from her computer and looked me in the eyes, and you could tell she genuinely cared about the answer. I mentioned I had a few questions about the anesthesia. As she went through her mandatory questions, she was making jokes and making us laugh, and I could tell she really loved her job, which genuinely put my nerves at ease. I could detect a noticeable difference in how my nerves felt with her in the room vs. when she had to step out when the anesthesiologist came in.

Once he left and she came back, she asked twice to make sure I got all my questions answered and asked if I was feeling better about it. She was a safe space in my inner turmoil, and in a moment where you kind of just want your mom (even though we are close in age), she was there with that warm, calming spirit. She shared that she rotates between Pre-Op and Post-Op. I am beyond grateful that she was assigned pre-Op that day, because honestly, I may have asked my husband to get me out of there if my anxiety stayed as high as it was when I walked into the building. She was a light in my internal storm. Being so nervous about what happens after, she took the time to go into great detail about what to expect.

Nila also gave me so many valuable tips for the following post-surgery days that I have been using and thank God she did, because I needed those suggestions. She also had me laughing so hard right before the crazy commotion of a bunch of people coming in the room. She could sense I was getting overwhelmed and helped calm the room down. The last thing I remember before going into surgery was my husband kissing my forehead and telling me he loved me. As my eyes closed, I saw her smile.

Thank you, God, for assigning Nila the Pre-Op area that morning – and thank you, Nila, for being the warmest smile I needed, the strength when I was feeling weak, the advocate for me when I was feeling overwhelmed and the patience when I had so many questions.

To the people reviewing this, l’m sure there are plenty of amazing nurses working all over critical care units who deserve these awards for their daily relentlessness, but please remember that sometimes nurse heroes are also in unsuspecting areas like Pre-Op. Nila was a glowing example of excellence, trust, compassion and quality that morning, and after that experience, I would absolutely recommend the St. Tammany Health System Surgery Center to any of my friends.