Selena Geiger, MSN, RN, RN-BC

I came into the hospital with what I thought was a backache. At 46 years old, I expected to just have a nerve or muscle issue. Instead, I found out that I had a cancer attacking my spine. In a week of admission, I had emergency spinal surgery, and two weeks later, when the biopsy came back, I found I had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. This news was unexpected and devastating. At a time when I was planning to get my daughter ready for college, my life was thrown onto a different path in three weeks. I've been on this floor for over three weeks, and Selena has been with me multiple days, from surgery, pre-op, to recovery and diagnosis. She was here step by step. Whatever I needed, she gave.

It's not just the nursing care in general. It was her caring personality. She was there for my tears and gave encouraging advice to help me get through this journey. She helped me with my first post-op movements, and I was always greeted with a bright smile. Even on my bad days, she shared a good story and made me laugh. We talked about kids, life, and vacations (A welcome distraction from hospital life). She made this more than just a hospital; she made it a caring environment. To top things off, she was my nurse on today's discharge date. I cannot wait to finish my chemo in November and share the great news with her and the team. I am so thankful for her and the great nursing staff here. Penn Hospital should be proud of your staff. In the three weeks I have been here. I have only seen happy and encouraging people working here, from nursing staff to housekeeping to dining services. Many thanks to Selena and the team for making this painful journey bearable.