Samantha has always made such an effort to bring joy and peace to her patients. Not only does Samantha buy decorations for every holiday, but this year she initiated the first-ever Thanksgiving Day Parade in our unit. She went out of her way to buy numerous balloons and decorations and made t-shirts for all of the staff to wear during the parade. The patients were encouraged to come out of their rooms (or were assisted to the doorway if they were unable to walk) and follow a stretcher decked out with balloons and decorations which Samantha led with a microphone announcing the balloon characters.

Many of our patients are admitted to our unit for weeks to months and therefore miss many moments and holidays with their families. Not only did this bring joy to the patients, it made working a holiday so much more enjoyable. Many patients expressed their gratitude for this little bit of joy brought to them on a holiday in the hospital. Patients walked the unit socializing with the staff and other patients wishing each other a Happy Thanksgiving. One patient, in particular, recently received a very poor prognosis and knew he would probably only have one Thanksgiving left. This patient could not contain his gratitude as he walked to every patient room wishing them a Happy Thanksgiving and thanking the staff for the joyful event. The parade is something that will go down in 8PE history and will be continued every year because of her.