When I walked into ASU, I saw a familiar face that greeted me and told me she will be my nurse for today. When I saw her, she greeted me not as an employee but as a patient. I could tell she was smiling even though she had her mask and shield on. Her asking me questions and letting me know why she was asking them made me feel very comfortable and having that feeling that she really knows what she is doing and most importantly that she cares. Every time she left the room, she would say, "press the call button and I will be here immediately" and every time she came and checked on me, she knocked and said, "may I come in?" I told her I had come alone, and she quickly responded, "who will be picking you after you wake up?" I then responded that a friend would. She asked for my next of kin information and explained that the doctor would want to call them and let them know I came out fine from the procedure.
All of these made me feel very comfortable and took the nervous feeling away. She asked me to show her where the lumps were located and proceeded by writing YES on each location and let me know that it was to make it easier for the doctor to mark. When it was time to put the IV in, she told me "wow! you have no body fat and it looks like you do work out a lot and I cannot believe that you are a diabetic." After a few minutes, she came in and whispered we are all set, and I will see you back here in no time.
After fully waking up from the procedure, I asked her if she was also diabetic and she said yes. I let her know that there is nothing wrong with it and that everyone copes differently with it. She asked me if I would get hungry, thirsty, or crave sweets. I let her know that since we cannot have sweets, our mind will play tricks on us. Who would have known that she was into bodybuilding and goes to the gym a lot? When you have a nurse with whom you have stuff in common, it makes a hospital stay seem like you are at home with a friend or family member. She honestly did not have to open up the way she did but that speaks to the level of care and compassion she has for what she does. I do not know if she is like that to other patients, but it just felt so special to have someone who cares and has something in common with you. It makes you feel like you are more than just a patient. I told her that if she is craving any sweets to let me know and would gladly make her a diabetic-friendly cake for her to enjoy; as she said it: "keto-friendly."
After a short while, I fell asleep again and she woke me up to see if I was ok. She said you told me you get nervous with sedation so when they were putting the monitor on, she gave me the goodnight margarita and it worked. When it was time for me to go home, she made sure I got into my friend's car. She waved and I waved back.
This is why I want to recognize Aurora Mejia. She went above and beyond her job description to make a person feel so comfortable the day of surgery.