My nurse, Savannah, on 8B, completely changed my life during my hospital stay. I came into Grady with a ruptured brain aneurysm and had brain surgery, and was so incredibly scared. I met Savannah on my 3rd night here and she completely set the tone for the rest of my stay, and frankly the rest of my life. She was more than just a nurse to me; she was a therapist, motivational speaker, rehabilitator, and at times had "mom" tendencies and kept me in check. She sat in my room for many hours, talking me down as I cried, scared that I was dying or could have died.

While I was here, I was forced to be sober for the first time in 20+ years, so of course I experienced insane withdrawals I didn't know how to manage. Savannah opened her own wallet and bought me countless of my favorite snacks, just trying to get me to eat anything through the struggle of withdrawals, and refused to let me repay her in any way. She woke me up in my sleep with cold towels and warm blankets to help manage my cold sweats from withdrawals.

She worked night shift, where physical therapy was not an option, so she became the physical therapist and took me on walks up and down the halls to help me relieve stress after being rejected by many nurses. Also, she was the first one who offered me real soap, water, and deodorant she kept in her locker for patients rather than only using the hospital wipes. I'm telling you, she has an absolute heart of gold for patient care.

After my 3 nights with Savannah, I got extremely stressed, broke down, cracked, and left against medical advice. After 4 hours gone from the hospital, Savannah's voice was in the back of my head telling me to get my butt back in there and get the help I needed. So, I drove back to Grady and got myself checked back in. I truly believe if Savannah were my nurse that day, I would have never left. She is my guardian angel.

Luckily, to my surprise, I was able to have Savannah for 2 more nights. She 100% kindly but "mom-like" lectured me for thinking I was ready to leave and not having all of the tools and medications I needed to succeed. For the next two nights, we discussed how my life was forever changed. While in the hospital, I decided to have my family throw out my drugs, buy me a blood pressure cuff, and find a therapist, simply because Savannah motivated me to start a whole new life.

Unfortunately, this hospital stay was my absolute rock bottom; however, I am forever grateful for Savannah and the impact she has made on my health and my life. I am very excited for my new future and journey being drug free, alcohol free, and prioritizing my health, and will forever have Savannah's voice in the back of my mind telling me to slow down, keep my peace, and believe in myself. Savannah is not only an incredible nurse but also an incredible human being. She deserves the utmost respect and praise.