I arrived in the ICU frightened. I had had a stroke which caused my eyesight to go awry. It was as though I was looking through a kaleidoscope. Added to that, I came from isolating at home to avoid COVID-19. Venkata sensed my fear and set about to reassure me and make me comfortable. I think she spent most of her shift reassuring me and taking care of my needs.
Venkata was entirely clinically competent and did all her work thoroughly and efficiently, and through it all, spoke in a soft, reassuring voice encouraging me to believe I would be fine. She was patient, kind, and made me feel utterly safe. At one point she came in and hung an additional IV bag and when I questioned her I learned she noticed my blood pressure was dropping a bit low, so she called the doctor and obtained an order to give extra saline to raise my pressure. How could I feel anything but safe? Venkata came from the other side of the world to practice her art and I'm so grateful she was here for me.