My 96 year old father was a patient in December. At 96 he lived on his own and was completely independent, taking complete care of himself. Then one day he got sick and got dehydrated and ended up in the hospital. Tawndi was one of the nurses who took care of him during his stay. She was very good to him, encouraging him and joking with him, making him laugh at times, and getting him to eat even when he didn't want to.

We thought he was getting better but sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning he took a turn and when I came in Monday morning he was unresponsive. I was unable to wake him and he couldn't speak anymore. Tawndi was as disappointed as we were. By Tuesday we knew he wouldn't be with us much longer. He was moved to a new room and put on comfort care. Tawndi took it upon herself to give him a sponge bath, change his bed and clothing and make him comfortable, even though I am pretty sure she wasn't his assigned nurse that day.

Toward the end, my sister and I had to leave to go take care of some paperwork for the VA and he passed away while we were gone. I was so distraught as I did not want him to be alone and we had not made it back before we could get there. When we got to his room Tawndi met us at the door, she hugged us and cried with us, and then she told us that she had sat with him while we were gone and I cannot tell you how much that meant to me. I could not believe the compassion and care she gave to this 96-year-old man whom she didn't even know. It brought such comfort to our family and we cannot express how much we appreciated her tender care of our father. She went above and beyond and we are so very, very grateful to her for her kindness and thoughtfulness at such a difficult time for us.