I've been an RN for a little over a year now. I've seen some great nurses and I've seen some good nurses. It wasn't until my mother was unexpectedly admitted to CCU and placed on a ventilator that I would get to meet a truly extraordinary nurse.

LaTanya Rodgers is one of the most genuine and most heart-warming people I have ever met. She has a heart of gold and treats her patients as if they were her own family member. My dad and I wanted to do everything we could for my mother that we were physically able to do. LaTanya made that happen by involving my dad and me in her care whenever possible. She let us help with turning and repositioning, with hygiene and oral care.

She always went above and beyond for my mom. For example, my mom was on an IV pressor drip which made her feet and hands extremely cold and turned them purple. LaTanya made my mom hot packs for her feet and hands during her shift to try and warm them. She did this every day. She had mini pampering sessions with my mom each morning. She brought bobby pins to work with her so she could fix my mom's hair into a cute little bun, then she would spray my mom with some of her own personal perfume so she would smell pretty and fresh for my dad when he got there to visit. My mother was not awake or conscious for any of this. LaTanya did it because that is how she would want her family member to be taken care of if they were in the hospital. Another example is when my mom had to have an NG placed for medications and feedings. When it was time to do her NG flushes, she flushed the tube with cold water because most people prefer to drink ice water instead of room temperature water.

Another thing that was so special for my dad and me, was to experience how she talked to my mother. My mom was on a ventilator and completely sedated but LaTanya would always explain everything she was about to do to her and why she was going to do it. These small acts of kindness are what my dad and I look back on and remember the most.

LaTanya paid close attention to my mother; she was able to know what my mom liked or didn't like and how my mother's body would respond to certain medications and positions. When my mom would get irritated or her vital signs weren't where they should be, LaTanya would start with interventions like repositioning her, making sure her fan was keeping her cool, cleaning and suctioning her mouth before making a decision to give her more medications or increase her sedation. Most of the time this was all my mom wanted and needed in order to keep her comfortable.

The greatest and most rewarding experience I had that I will truly never forget is when it was just LaTanya and me in my mother's room one day. I was standing on one side of my mother's bed, holding her hand and playing with her hair. I was struggling emotionally with everything that was going on. LaTanya went to the other side of my mother's bed, grabbed my mother's hand and told me that she had lost her mother at a young age. We spent the next few minutes talking and crying together while holding my mother's hands. That was the first time during my mother's entire hospital stay that I felt at ease and not alone. At that moment I knew that my mother was in the hands of an extraordinary nurse who was going to do everything that she could for my mother.

Unfortunately, after three weeks, my mother died. It was LaTanya's integrity, her ability to understand people, her exceptional kindness and her skills and knowledge that make her stand out among other nurses. She had nice words to say and could always put a smile on our faces even when our world felt like it was coming to an end. She brought my dad and me so much comfort in the absolute worst moments of our life. We are forever grateful and blessed that my mother had LaTanya as her nurse.