Tara N Luker, BSN, RN

Tara took care of my mother on the day that her mother and two siblings came up from the Cincinnati area to visit, though Tara did not know that in advance. When I last saw my mother two days before, her hair was loose and unkempt on the pillow. It did not look good. When we came in the morning, Tara was taking care of my mother. My mother's hair was clean and had a French braid. We learned later that Tara had taken the time and care to do that for my mother when she gave my mother her bath that morning. The elegantly braided grey-white hair was in stark contrast to my mother's.s sunken eyes with dark circles and gaunt cheeks. This is a physical manifestation of the difference a good nurse makes, one who cares for their patients, one for whom nursing is a calling, not just a job: they make the situation a little bit better. They can even bring some joy into a dark situation.