When I entered the recovery unit I saw 3 nurses surrounding my daughter, who is 22 and has special needs. I thought maybe something had gone wrong with her eye muscle surgery. What was wrong was that under anesthesia, she was confused and strongly fighting the urge to touch her eye. It took a total of 5 nurses to hold her down and prevent that. They had restrained her with sheets. Upon seeing her I could see her confusion and frustration which was surprising since she has had many surgeries. 2 of the nurses left, with Darlene remaining as our "primary" care nurse in recovery. She explained what had happened and reassured us that A was at all times, safe but that they needed to help keep her that way by restraining her from touching the surgical site.
We discovered that she too, was the gifted artist who so beautifully painted the intake rooms with such inspirational words. She was very selfless and seemed to think her artistic gifts were a hidden talent which most didn't know about her. She provided expert medical care and most of all, excellent communication with both my daughter and me. She went out of her way to create a pink "story" for my daughter with pink sunglasses and pink medical tape. She seemed genuinely pleased that A "came out" of her argumentative state right out of surgery, and so were we.
Upon our discharge, she took her time to show us the rest of the rooms throughout the floor, starting with the Little Mermaid and jungle room which especially pleased our daughter. Darlene is a special nurse with a very beautiful gift as an artist. You are fortunate to have her as a spokesperson for your facility not just through her medical skill but her communication abilities through word, attitude, and art. It is an authentic gift to bring joy to the world in such a beautiful combination of enriching gifts and talents.