After driving home from New York, I went to the emergency room fearing a heart attack. My symptoms did not support that diagnosis, but to my great anxiety, a large mass was found on my lung that the ER doctor made clear could be pneumonia or possibly cancer. Later that day, I was admitted. I was tired, scared and experiencing some effects of opioids I take for chronic back pain.
Unfortunately, that led to some poor behavior on my part with the nurse assigned to my care. Obvious confusion and my inability to stand or move safely resulted in the nurse putting on the bed alarm. That was an extremely unpopular move with me and resulted in quite a bit of verbal abuse I put on the young man. This was right before I met Ysabel.
At shift change, Ysabel became my nurse. In our introductory conversation, Ysabel was able to immediately calm me down about the necessity for the bed alarm, her team's commitment to my care, and my need to be a cooperative patient.
Over the next couple of days during which Ysabel was my nurse, she answered all of my questions about cancer, other possible diagnoses and durations of time in the hospital. All answered in a caring, careful, and thoughtful manner. Her caring but competent treatment put me in the frame of mind that I needed to face a future that could be very challenging. Ysabel also made the effort to build a relationship with my wife and keep her involved in all aspects of my care.
I observed several times as Ysabel presented her recommendations to doctors. She made maximum use of her time by starting with her bottom line and then building the reasons why. Her ability to communicate with doctors helped me receive the best possible care.
Finally, even after I was transferred out of her unit, Ysabel kept in touch as I awaited the final word about whether I had cancer. She came by my room after her shift to hear the final test results. I was so happy that my wife and I could share the good news with Ysabel. Ysabel was tough enough to keep me in line and compassionate enough to guide me through several of the most anxiety-filled days I have ever experienced.

Note: This is Ysabel's 2nd DAISY Award!