I want to pass along a message I got from a former patient of ours who was lucky enough to have Vladimir as his nurse. His wife was on a different unit, not doing very well, and Vladimir took him to visit her. What the patient told me was one of the most touching things I’ve ever heard. I wish I could say I was able to hold back the tears, but I wasn’t.

When the patient mentioned to Vladimir that he wished he could kiss her, Vladimir inclined the head of her bed and held onto the patient so he was able to lean over and kiss her on the forehead. His wife whispered, “I love you.” He said those were the last words she ever spoke.

The patient called this morning, hoping to speak with Vladimir, so he could let him know that his wife had passed. He wanted to thank Vladimir for allowing him those moments with his wife. How profoundly kind and meaningful were those small acts, and the difference Vladimir made in the life of this man is immeasurable. Vladimir is not here on the unit today, but I wanted to make sure that he knew the patient had called, and I wanted you to know of his compassion for his patients. The patient has a wonderful memory of his last moments with his wife because of Vladimir.