When she arrived at the unit, curled in a ball, crying in so much pain, staff had to assist with sliding her over to her bed, so naturally, they called for muscle (Tom). The way the patient described this experience, warmed my heart, it was disgusting. HAHA! She said, "I heard this guy's voice, my eyes were closed, and I just wanted to die; it hurt so bad, and I knew they called for him to just pick me up and move me over. He introduced himself & told me he was there to help, saying he knew it hurt. He could see it hurt, and once we moved me over to our hospital bed, which is still uncomfortable but better than the gurney, he would make sure no one did anything else to me until they got my pain under control."

This isn't the first time Tom has impressed me with his bedside manner despite his tough exterior, which goes beyond his own patient assignment. The patient said, "He isn't even my nurse, and I didn't see his face until a few days later when I heard his voice and recognized it. I just hope he knows how much that meant to me. I was already so scared, not knowing what to expect, and he immediately made it all go away. "