I have worked at Elmhurst Hospital for over 31 years, and for the majority of those 31 years, Terry has been a coworker of mine. While I have worn many hats during those years, Terry has been one consistent and familiar friend and coworker to me in those years and has always been there no matter what the situation may have been or could have been. She has shared birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries with so many different people along the way, which has written us a book filled with a lifetime of memories. Memories that are joyous and make us laugh, leave us with smiles and make us giggle, memories of sweet hellos and long goodbyes, and of course, memories of tears, not always happy tears but sometimes sad tears.

There is not one person who has worked here or who has been a patient or family member here who does not know Terry, our CRN, and if they do not know her, they are missing out. Missing out Big Time! When I hear the story behind Patrick Barnes, I cannot help but smile and feel as if I knew the man and what it was like to be a friend of his. I think everyone in this room would agree with me that they feel the same because here at Elmhurst, we have a Patrick Barnes, except she is a female and a nurse, and her name is Terry Batura. We are fortunate enough to be blessed with her and to have her as a part of this organization and our Elmhurst family. The values that Terry has are the values that Patrick had. I may have stolen a little of this next part from the website, but it fits so well, and everyone can see how Our Terry shares Patrick's values.

Everyone is touched by her positive spirit and her sense of humor. She is a mother to two adorable challenging boys with disabilities. She is driven by a desire to befriend others and help them in any way she can. Her Legacy is clear: whenever she comes across anyone in need, she never turns her back, (I know this from a personal experience when I was going through my husband's recovery she was always asking how I was even though she was having a tough time herself at home, it did not matter, she focused on me). She reaches out to comfort them, to make them feel okay.

Terry is a natural mentor, sharing her phenomenally positive outlook on life with a wide network of friends and family with whom she stays in constant contact. I nominate Terry Batura for all the special memories she has created for not only her family, her husband and boys, her Elmhurst family and co-workers, patients and families, but for all those that she will touch in the future and the days forthcoming, for those she will come in contact with and help, for those she will mentor and teach and for those she will share a laugh with and a smile. Thank you, Terry! You are a very special person to us all.