My dad was admitted to NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital ICU in February 2024. Dad has been in and out of the hospital several times over the last few months. While there, we experienced wonderful staff members, one of whom was exceptional. She stood out! I honestly don’t have the correct words to describe how amazing she was. Her name is Shannon and when I tell you in my family’s eyes, she is an angel on earth, I truly mean it! Dad is 73 years old and very hard of hearing, very anxious and very hardheaded. He does not make the best patient and he absolutely hates being in the hospital. With all the recent lengthy stays, he had become very depressed and at times would present as a very grumpy man, but only because he was ready to be home. He is genuinely a kind man. With that being said, Shannon would always start the day with a smile and conversation. Not normal everyday “nurse conversation”, but the type of conversation that would make you feel that she was family and had known us all for a very long time. She went out of her way to make sure that Dad had everything he not only needed but wanted.

Dad experienced some serious complications. She did her job very well and monitored him very closely. She was constantly in and out and during the very scary times never left his side. He would be doing very well and then suddenly it would change. It baffled us all. We knew that had to be fixed. I overheard her one day as I was walking to the bathroom, speaking to a group of other nurses saying, “help me think about what we are missing with my patient, it is something simple, let’s put our heads together”.  She proceeded to tell them his history and recent issues in hopes of finding the answer. I would hear her talking to the physicians giving a report full of crucial information to ensure they knew every single detail. She wanted answers. She wanted my dad to be well. Shannon knew he wanted to go home and wanted to help him get there. The confidence, knowledge, and compassion that Shannon presents are exemplary! It just can’t be described. After all the scary situations Dad encountered while in the ICU, he said, “Her being here just makes me feel calm and safe. You can tell she knows what she is doing, and she wants to help me”. This was because you could tell she cared…not just kind of cared, but genuinely cared. Shannon wanted Dad to be well, almost as much as he and his family did. We all felt this way about her and were so much more at ease when she was assigned to be his nurse. She went the extra mile for us all, not only my dad. She knew we were all stressed and very worried, and she did everything she could to ease that. She was not only like this with my dad, but it was also the other families and patients she was assigned. It was staggering to see how she worked so well with everyone. She had some extremely hard shifts while she took care of my dad and others during these days, but the smile never went away, and the care she provided never decreased, as I am sure she was completely exhausted. Even on the days that she was not assigned as my dad’s nurse, she would always pop in and say hi to him throughout the day and would always want to make sure when she left the room, he needed nothing even though she was not his nurse for the day.

The day Dad moved to the 3rd floor, he was happy because he knew that he was one step closer to going home, but he was also sad because he knew that he would probably never see her again and receive the care and comfort that she provided him.  Do you know that the day they moved him, she came over to see him after her shift had ended? She talked about his care and reminded him of the progress he had made and provided him with so much encouragement. Wow, how she built up Dad’s spirit that day! I don’t know Shannon outside the hospital, but I am sure she is an angel in the community as well. She is the true definition of pure compassion. I am an RN, and I see nurses entering the field way too often because of pay or job security. I feel that if you are missing the component of compassion, you will never be a good nurse. It is necessary and not something that can be taught in a nursing class or as you read your medical/surgical book. It is something you are born with, and NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital, you have yourself a star here! I hope you recognize her value and worth and allow her to be recognized because she is truly amazing. Thank you, Shannon, for your kindness, your compassion, and the mercy you showed my dad, and for the great knowledge that you have worked so hard to gain. Thank you for the peace you gave me as his daughter. Seeing you work so hard to help solve the mystery of the change in his health and the love you showed while doing this, I just can’t thank you enough!  Being a nurse is not an easy task, especially with patients like my dad, but you are such a bright light to me, my dad, and our family.  You make me want to go out and be a better nurse, and I am sure that you have the same influence on those you work with. I pray that you are blessed greatly in your life, family, and career because we feel that you are astounding!  You will forever hold a special place in our lives!