Zachary Lukes, BSN, RN, PCCN

My father, who is completely blind, was transferred to Avera McKennan and was very ill. When we arrived at Avera McKennan, Zach was my dad’s nurse. Zach treated my father with the utmost respect. He always announced himself before coming into the room. He set up a laptop and played Dad’s favorite classic rock music. His calm and kind demeanor was especially appreciated by my siblings and I. If Zach wasn’t worked up, we had no reason to be either! People can be nervous and unsure of how to handle someone who is visually impaired. But Zach was clear with his instructions, he even put a gauze pad on dad’s remote so he could feel where to push his call light. I can’t put into words how much we appreciated his attentiveness to our father, his kind and calm demeanor, how well he explained Dad’s status, and overall just kept us informed. He is a gift to Avera McKennan!