Christie, like dozens of others, rode the waves of 2020 and the COVID crisis. COVID-19 took its toll on the CCU/IMCU staff physically, emotionally, and mentally. The devastation the pandemic has caused will leave permanent scars in the minds and hearts of our staff. Christie, and others, watched as the CCU COVID patients grew sicker and sicker, a continual decline with little hope of any significant improvements. Families were unable to visit, or even speak with their loved ones because they were intubated or too weak to talk on the phone. More often than anyone should have to, Christie could be found in full PPE sitting with one of the 80 + patients who succumbed to the virus's effects on their bodies. Christie would sit quietly and hold their hands, her face being the last thing they would ever see. She, like many other nurses/staff, became a surrogate family. The sadness was indescribable. I tear up in writing this because the pain and sorrow in the eyes of our nurses will forever have an impact on me. I would be negligent to imply Christie was the only staff nurse who extended such compassion to the patients. Many others did the same over the past 12-months. What makes Christie the one to stand out in my eyes? I can explain that in a single word, genuine. When I look at her, I see a good heart, a genuine soul. One who does not expect praise or recognition, because she does what she does because it is in her heart. Because it is the right thing to do. The consistent and exceptional care she provides, the kindness and empathy she extends to her patients/families, and her gentle and comforting voice is the definition of a nurse. Even in my mind's eye, I see Christie's smile and it reminds me of promise, and of her personal willingness to stay the course and fight another day.