I recently had 5 days at the LGH. One day in ED, then 4 days in the NCCU. All the staff in both units were amazing, but there was one stand out, bright shining light and that was Steph.

Leading up to my cardiac arrest, I had just been through some fairly major personal stress and having my heart attack dragged me from a pretty dark place into an even darker place. My moods swung from feeling okay to very low at the drop of a hat. While all the staff were empathetic and understanding, I kept them at a distance. That was until Steph arrived on the ward late on day 2. Within minutes of arriving on the ward, Steph lifted the whole mood of the room. Watching her work was an experience – she seemed to effortlessly move between personal patient care and administration and then still have the time to spend with each patient and make every one of us feel really special and very cared for.

Several patients came and went during the 4 days that I was on the ward and a number of them commented to me about how amazing she was…and she was.

Personally, I think Steph was a lifesaver. She always seemed to have the time to make that extra check in on me and always had the time to sit and talk (even when she actually, probably didn’t). She made me feel special, cared for and needed…something that I hadn’t felt for some time. Steph genuinely cared and made everyone feel cared for. She could bring you up when you were feeling low and keep you up when normally you wouldn’t be. This beautiful lady is truly a master of her craft and an absolute shining beacon for all around her.

I wish her well in whatever the future holds for her and thank her from the bottom of my heart for all that she did for me.