Nurse Roxy of the Torrance Memorial PCU will forever be known as the Christmas Miracle in my family for how instrumental she was in saving my mother's life. I owe a great debt of gratitude for her compassion, empathy, kindness, and professionalism, and I am in awe that Torrance Memorial has such high standards of care with the excellence that Roxy brought with her every day as she came into my mom's hospital room. I don't usually write these things, and a note of forewarning, my brevity seems to have left me after seeing my mom in such a serious condition at the hospital. However, I feel the need to express my endless gratitude towards Nurse Roxy for saving my mom.

As a woman and a child of immigrants, I have become accustomed to the solemn disappointment of being dismissed or talked over; the curse of our gender that too many women have reckoned with. Talking to Roxy, however, was like none of that ever happened. Everything turned around with her. She looked me in the eyes and actively listened. She let me finish my sentences. She heard my concerns and took me seriously when I said that there was something nebulously wrong, but I couldn't find the words to articulate exactly what. I know how easy it is to look at someone of my mom's demographic and say, "It's pain meds and age," but Roxy listened. She took the time to hear what I was saying, to nod, to let me take a breath, to actively listen, to offer words of comfort, to make us feel heard, and to assess the situation as a trained professional. I could feel that her compassion extended to not just the patient, but also to the terrified family at the bedside, and because of her patience, empathy, and excellence, Roxy was successfully able to coordinate the appropriate care for my mom. It ended up saving her life.

I cannot thank her enough. Because of Roxy's direct action, my mom was able to get the care she needed, and I could see her begin to regain her personality and smile during her hospitalization, after a week of being completely catatonic. Her labs began to get better. She laughed. Her jokes returned. Roxy brought my mom back to me. Thank you.

I could immediately tell that  Roxy cares deeply for her patients, and has a strong desire to be a helper. She saw us as human beings who needed help and took every step possible to try to make my mom more comfortable. From effective communication with my mom's entire medical team consisting of multiple departments to even the less glamorous parts of nursing, like helping my mom with the bathroom--she embodied enthusiasm, warmth, and kindness. She never once made us feel like we were burdening her, and her energy is the kind of medicine that only a few special nurses can offer to the scared and ill, it's a special kind of magic that heals the fear, anxiety, and worry that inevitably come from hospitalization. Roxy excels in bedside manner, and I respectfully believe that there is no close second in the field.

These kinds of skills are what make the most heartfelt difference to patients, and Torrance Memorial should be beaming with pride that they have such highly skilled nurses like Roxy. Roxy is a stellar communicator. On the days she was working, every doctor was on the same page, up to date on exactly everything that happened, and my mom's care was coordinated like it was an infinitely-rehearsed, long-running, star-studded Broadway production.

Roxy is astoundingly organized. Even a layman like me could see that nursing takes a lot of multitasking, and I was in utter awe of how effective she was at remembering all of the little things and just how highly skilled and organized she was. I understand that hospitals are swamped and I know that Roxy has an entire floor of other patients, but you honestly couldn't tell just from interacting with her, due to the incredible level of care she delivers every time she enters a patient's room. That's an extraordinary level of professionalism and excellence, especially when hospitals are facing historical levels of overcrowding and shortages.

Roxy goes far above and beyond her job duties and leaves her stress at the door before greeting you with a smile and administering the highest level of care and empathy. She celebrated with us at the bedside with the warmth and kindness of longtime family friends when my mom's appetite finally returned, a huge milestone in her progress. She reassured me that I was doing a good job for my mom. She told us about her dog when we asked, and later coordinated a therapy dog for my mom, which was so incredibly special and kind. I cannot tell you how much that meant to me and my family to be in such skilled, capable, and empathetic hands with Roxy, and I cannot fathom the amount of passion and skill for one person to embody to be able to navigate such a stressful environment and to deliver such monumental results.

Aside from her skills as a nurse, my interactions with her showed me that Roxy is an advocate for the elderly, for families whose first language isn't English, and an advocate for women. She is a ray of hope in the profession of healthcare, and I respectfully urge the administration, Roxy's superiors/ colleagues, and the powers that be at Torrance Memorial to give her recognition and commendation.

On a final note, I would like to share a word we have in Japanese called "Tenshoku." It literally means "heaven job", and it means a job that suits one so well, it's like the heavens gave you this specific job to do. It's something you excel at almost naturally, and something one has a special gift in. A calling. This is my first and lasting impression of Roxy; she is second to none, and I hope that Torrance Memorial understands just how incredibly lucky they are to have her on their team. I know that Roxy will continue to save many lives wherever she goes and continue to bring smiles, excellent care, and healing to those with the privilege of being her patients. My mom can smile another day and I can hold her hand and laugh alongside her because of everything she did for us. Thank you for your time, and I hope you consider our family's Christmas Miracle aka Nurse Roxy of the PCU for every and all opportunities for recognition and career advancement. Thank you for giving me my mom back. You are a legend, Roxy.