I woke up late at night to find myself in a hospital bed. I had no idea how I got there. (My second nomination goes to the person who designed the signs in front of the hospital beds that say "Welcome to Eden Hospital" along with the date, room number, phone number, and nurse's name. That's how I knew where I was.) Family and nurses started to come and I learned that I had a memory loss and was admitted for that and other medical issues. I was scared, confused, and had to go through a lot of testing. My relatives who also visited me were very concerned and had a lot of questions.

Elizabeth Uchenna took excellent care of me. She also did a wonderful job of communicating to my family. She addressed our fears and concerns with a serious but positive attitude and a sense of humor. She knew how to answer questions at the appropriate level for visiting children as well as relatives with medical expertise. Elizabeth got me out of bed and walking and got my family to also walk with me. It was difficult to get the many IVs into my arms and she joked about my bad veins and pointed out how my daughter had good veins. She had the professionalism to realize that my "bad veins" required the expertise of an ICU nurse.

Elizabeth eased my fears about my illness and brought my family closer together during a time of great concern. When I woke up each morning in the hospital and saw the "Welcome to Eden Hospital" sign, I knew I was getting well and that I was getting great care.