Everybody on the 5th floor of UW Health East Madison Hospital deserves to be recognized for their compassion, dedication, expertise, and quality work. However, I feel that Stephanie “Steph” K deserves a special shoutout for her exceptional compassion and concern for my well-being while a patient at East Madison Hospital. I came into your hospital for evaluation and admission for treatment from a care facility that treated me rather inhumanely. My mind was a mess, and Ms. K could see that. I didn’t even want to talk to my own mother for more than a week because my mind was in a dark place. Ms. K respected that, but she did ask me if SHE could call my mother to just let her know that I was (and would be OK). I told Ms. K to go ahead and call. Ms. K is also a mom, so she understands how mothers (even mothers of adult children, like myself) worry about their children, and she went the extra mile to reassure an elderly mother that her son was safe and would be well cared for, even though my mind was a bit screwed up at the moment I was admitted. Ms. K gave me the space I needed to acclimate to East Madison Hospital while keeping an eye on me and reassuring me that I was in a safe space. She proceeded to “draw me out” of my shell for the next two weeks, and the thing that I was most touched by with respect to Ms. K’s compassion was that I felt like she treated me like a member of her own extended family. She would give me small compliments from time to time, in my opinion, reminding me that I was someone who mattered and that there were people around me who did care. That meant a great deal to me, and I will always be grateful to Ms. K for that. I was born with a disease and have been in and out of a LOT of hospitals. East Madison Hospital is truly a unique, special place. Thank you for giving your patients the opportunity to recognize those staff members who go above and beyond the medicine to show their patients that they are truly cared about.