My father had a stroke in 2019. With a stroke comes many complications, and after the stroke, he did okay for a while. In August 2023, he fell at his home. From there, we went to the hospital for a month, then to a skilled nursing facility for a few months. He then ended up at an assisted living facility where he stayed for about a year. Here recently, his legs started swelling mostly on the left leg, which is his stroke side.

Finally, about a week ago, the ambulance took him to the ER at CarolinaEast where he was for about 24 hrs. He ended up having emergency surgery due to a very bad infection. After surgery, he went to the third Floor ICU that is where we met Omar Melendez, ICU Nurse, from the very moment myself and my brother met him he was always willing to talk to us about any questions we had regarding my father’s situation, he showed empathy throughout our ordeal, he made sure my father ate something. He used every option available to him to make sure he got nutrients of some kind.

At one point, he ordered breakfast food and was actually assisting him while he ate. He turned him in bed many times to make sure no bedsores occurred. Every line hooked to him, he took extra care in making sure my father was as comfortable as possible. In the days we spent together, he shared personal stories of his life.

This energetic attitude continued the entire shift, and it brought great comfort to me and my brother, which alone is priceless. I am no wordsmith, so I am sure I am not doing a good enough job conveying how vital people like Omar are to your organization, but once again, there are no words to explain how much he is appreciated!