July 2026 Honoree
Sandy Rivera, RN
After being given a stroke diagnosis (on top of already having end-stage liver cancer), my stepdad needed total comfort care. I was incidentally in town to help with the caregiver strain of the cancer diagnosis, so my mom and I were totally thrown through a loop when it was a neurology finding. As strong as my mom is, I’ve been quite concerned for her to take care of her husband by herself at home, as he needs total care.
We were just told that he wasn’t a candidate for the hospice house, and we felt quite helpless, but tried to consider our options. During a bed bath, a palliative care nurse walked in and introduced herself, saying, “I am here to listen to your story, hear your goals of care, and offer you options.” As she is talking, she started putting on gloves and jumped right in to help the rest of the bed bath and changing sheets.
Once my stepdad was content, he fell right asleep, and Sandy walked over to us and immediately wrapped her arms around my mom and just let her fall apart. Sandy then spent about an hour and a half talking us through exactly what she said she would do- answering all of our questions, anticipating our concerns, and offering a dignified option for palliating my stepdad’s symptoms.
Sandy was thorough but not pushy, looked us in the eye, and gave us a realistic expectation of what’s to come. Sandy spoke to my mom like she was her close friend- rubbing her back and holding her hand, all at the perfectly appropriate times, overall validating my mom as a wife anticipating losing her husband.
As an oncology nurse myself who works at a different healthcare system in Orlando, I have seen good nurses who are called to love on the suffering and the dying, as well as their families. Sandy is probably one of the best folks for her role, for that department, and for your hospital. She is an absolute angel.
We were just told that he wasn’t a candidate for the hospice house, and we felt quite helpless, but tried to consider our options. During a bed bath, a palliative care nurse walked in and introduced herself, saying, “I am here to listen to your story, hear your goals of care, and offer you options.” As she is talking, she started putting on gloves and jumped right in to help the rest of the bed bath and changing sheets.
Once my stepdad was content, he fell right asleep, and Sandy walked over to us and immediately wrapped her arms around my mom and just let her fall apart. Sandy then spent about an hour and a half talking us through exactly what she said she would do- answering all of our questions, anticipating our concerns, and offering a dignified option for palliating my stepdad’s symptoms.
Sandy was thorough but not pushy, looked us in the eye, and gave us a realistic expectation of what’s to come. Sandy spoke to my mom like she was her close friend- rubbing her back and holding her hand, all at the perfectly appropriate times, overall validating my mom as a wife anticipating losing her husband.
As an oncology nurse myself who works at a different healthcare system in Orlando, I have seen good nurses who are called to love on the suffering and the dying, as well as their families. Sandy is probably one of the best folks for her role, for that department, and for your hospital. She is an absolute angel.
Thank you, Sandy, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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