My father is almost 90 and has been so well all his life. Recently, he had a very bad fall and fractured his skull and bled around his brain. He ended up in QMC while I was on holiday in Cornwall. Apparently, he remained quite stable but began to lose some of his faculties i.e. from walking he had to be hoisted and from self-care, he has to be fed. His speech also became unintelligible. When we heard from the family that he was for surgery we returned from Cornwall and went straight to the hospital to see him. When I saw him he looked so ill, I didn't think that he had long to live and was concerned that he would not make it through the surgery. I was distraught; however, staff nurse Sam was on hand to explain to me what had been happening to him. She had admitted him and seen how his condition had deteriorated, I thought I may be saying goodbye to him as I bent over to kiss him, I burst into tears and he started to cry too, I looked to Sam for support. Tears were in her eyes too. This brought comfort to me as I could see how she cared about my father, it's hazy now whether I gave her a hug but she brought solace. As a retired nurse of 35 years, I am a good judge of a nurse's character and Sam impressed me so much. Thankfully, Dad came through the operation very well. Still facing a lot of rehabilitation and I'm very grateful for the care he has received. Thank you.