It was my first time being in the hospital since I was born, and I'll be sixty in a couple of weeks. I was in great pain and very anxious and whenever Nikki entered the room, I got immediate eye contact, a warm smile and a "how are you doing?". Everything about her exuded warmth and genuine care. Nikki is a gentle, humble soul who obviously knows what it truly means to be compassionate. One particular evening, my wife had to leave my side to go back to feed our cat. During that time span, I became overwhelmed with pain and fear. I rang the bell and Nikki came in and took care of my meds that were permitted at that point and then sat next to me rubbing my back where the severe pain was and held my hand until my wife arrived back to the hospital. Her presence was very calming and honestly, I'm not sure I could have survived my illness without her. Well...I probably would have, but having her as my nurse made such a difference for me during such a difficult time.
Nikki was by far the cream of the crop. Sentara is very lucky to have her on staff! I hope you will share this with her. I told her how I felt but she could hear it again. "She was born to be a nurse!!!"