I am a patient who has Lou Gehrig's disease, so please forgive me if the spellcheck is goofy or my punctuation is off since I'm having to use dictation. I'm nominating Shauna Schwartzman, RN of the TCRC at Massachusetts General Hospital. My wife and I flew from Alabama to Boston in order for me to receive exploratory medicine for Lou Gehrig's disease. Needless to say, our emotions were high, and we were loaded with questions. Shauna immediately stepped in and took ownership of me as a patient. We could tell right away that she was a special nurse. She is brilliant with just the right touch of OCD, lol. Her exams were thorough, and her compassion came through in every conversation we had. Shauna and I developed a friendship over the few days I was in her care. I told her stories about when I was in the US Navy, and she told me stories about her father's accomplishments in space and radar technology. Shauna also entertained me with stories about her dog, encounters with bears on the trails of New Hampshire, and seeing wild moose while hiking. All of this was eye-opening for a guy from Alabama. She was able to describe her encounters with so much detail that I felt like I was walking on the trail with her. It was a really nice escape from the mental gymnastics that I was going through because of my disease and clinical trial. You see, ALS patients not only suffer from atrophy, but we also suffer emotionally because we lose our independence. Sometimes stories are our only escape. Shauna's stories enabled me to mentally escape my hospital bed for a brief period of time.  The silent waiting with ALS can be tough some days, and Shauna made sure I felt comfortable every step of the way. I also considered Shauna a counterpart and an integral part of my care team. In my mind, Shauna carried the same clout as my neurologists. What I mean by that is Shauna is extremely precise when it comes to documentation, medication, and everything else that falls under the broad umbrella of patient care. Shauna cared for me with the same amount of care I heard in her voice when she told me stories about her father. We inventoried my pills together, and we worked as a team to figure out my sugar levels because my IV steroids were making them crazy. Blood sugars are crucial in ALS clinical trials, but never once did I panic or worry because I knew Shauna wouldn't leave my side.  We worked through every single headache I had after my lumbar puncture and procedure. Shauna took the time to fabricate little levels of elevation out of towels and blankets. My headaches were positional headaches, and Shauna used these different levels of elevation to help relieve my headache in conjunction with the pain meds.  I saved the biggest compliment for last. My wife is a nurse practitioner at our local hospital here in Alabama. She has never once left my side at a hospital until she met Shauna. I'm not kidding, my wife has never left my side, even when I have been a patient at the hospital where she works. My wife left me for about 10 hours one day. That's how professional,  thorough, and knowledgeable Shauna is.