While Duke Hospital is not the nearest hospital to where I live, it is the hospital where I receive specialty care due to a rare autoimmune disease. I had been held at a hospital local to my home for days awaiting transfer to Duke. When I arrived in the middle of the night, Rachel immediately greeted me at my room and began providing care. She allowed me to clean myself up while she brought all kinds of supplies and extra supplies to make sure I had everything I needed to get comfortable, since I had been in a small ER room for days with hardly anything.

She thoroughly reviewed all my information with me and put me at ease even though I was in an immense amount of pain. Without asking she brought me snacks and drinks and things that it’s almost like she read my mind that I was wanting. Anticipating my needs and treating me so kindly, I knew that I was going to receive excellent care. For it to be around midnight and to have someone so eager to treat me as if I were a friend or family member, there is truly no better feeling.

At times in hospitals previously, I’ve always felt self-conscious to ask for too much or to feel as if I was bothering my nurse , but even though she had a full patient load, you could not tell because I received care as if I were her only patient. She had a sweet, bubbly personality, a positive attitude, and you could tell that she cares about her patients and her job. A selfless servant heart is so important to have in the nursing field, and for her to maintain that when I know with Covid and all of the other illnesses going around, making their job a lot harder, it’s almost as if that made her even more compassionate for her job and patients. The world would be a lot better place if all nurses were like her.

I am lucky that my stay started with her, but it did set the bar very high for everyone else. I want her to know she is appreciated and that she is in the right field to help so many people. Thank you, Duke, and thank you, Rachel, for advocating for me and helping me in my journey.