...My mother has been in and out of the hospital. Her health an ongoing situation with congestive heart failure, COPD, and Parkinson's Disease. We have watched her health decline, fear overwhelmed for her, and many days of feeling like no one cared. Then we once again had to transport my mother to the ER. Back home where we live, the fourth trip in eight weeks, I watched my mother struggle to breath as fluid builds up around her heart and lungs. I watched her continuously throw up until she had no strength left. I watched her will to live slowly fade away. She was continuously shuffled around as if she was just another elderly Medicare patient with her time on earth limited so just patch her up and send her back to the nursing home with little answers and little compassion. On this trip to the ER, we were led to believe my mother needed to be sent to Peoria OSF to have a scope put down in her lungs to see if food was present and they could not do the test in her hospital. My mother was very sick and had little strength. We had to scramble and have her transported by ambulance to a hospital we knew very little about; doctors we didn't know and nurses we didn't know. This was very hard for us to do. After arriving here with chest x-rays, blood work, heart monitors and oxygen, we soon realized the diagnosis for which she was sent here for was wrong and we were faced with my mother extremely weak, shortness of breath from advanced COPD and congestive heart failure. I along with my sister tried to have her sent back home as our trust in people caring for our mother has been compromised by past prior care. But through a bunch of situations and my mother's health it was not possible to take her out at this time. We began to meet doctors and nurses we didn't know; then my mother was transferred to the Forest Park building.

A nurse was assigned to my mother, Cat Valentine. I began to watch her with my mother as I never left my mother's side. Cat was extremely thorough looking at my mother from head to toe, looking closely at doctors orders and my mother's medicine. Cat took much time listening to my mother's situation, taking much time addressing my mother's needs, questions and being prompt at getting us information to things we needed answers to. Cat also showed a tremendous amount of compassion, not only for my mother but for us as her family as well. I watched the gentleness she displayed in her physical touch as well as in the way she spoke to my mother. Then I witnessed the way she was with the student nurses assigned to my mother. She guided them step by step with professionalism and kindness the same thing I saw her give to my mother as well as me. Cat is an amazing nurse. I soon realized God had his hand in this and led us to this hospital. Because of Cat my mother has received the best of care and it has restored my faith in nursing.

Thank you Cat.