... I was brought to Rapid City Regional Hospital by ambulance with my 4 year old son. At that time we had become another statistic of an eye burn that happened over the Fourth of July holiday. I was a wreck and my son was also a mess. The doctor had evaluated him rather quickly and told my husband and me that he was likely to lose his eye completely that night. Deb was our nurse and at that time, she was also my savior.

I had to get some air but on my way outside, I had quite a breakdown in the bathroom. Deb came in and gave me a wet wash rag and talked me through what was my worst fear at that particular moment. She walked me outside and also took care of my husband in the room with our son. This was all while she was providing excellent care to our child.

That night, Dr. Y came and operated on our son. The most amazing thing happened and that was that Dr. Y saved my son's eye and he is expected to make a full recovery. After getting the wonderful news at about 4 a.m., I felt the urge to go down the stairs and find our nurse in the ER, Deb. Deb met me in the hallway and I explained to her that I had to find her to tell her the news about my son's eye. Deb may have only been in our lives for a matter of a few hours but the impression she left on our lives will last forever.

I don't know Deb personally and she doesn't know me. In fact, if I saw her in the mall, I probably might not recognize her today. However, from the night of July 3, Deb's personality and caring nature stick with me as if I just saw her today.

Deb, thank you. We will be forever grateful for you.