Marina Rivera has a big heart. We had a patient on the 3rd floor who was special. He stayed in 3T for 86 days. He was unable to make sound decisions for himself. His mental capacity does not match his adult age; speaking and acting like a 9 or 10-year-old. When Marina realized it, she immediately became that mother hen looking after this lost child. She brought colored markers for him to draw and occupy his time. This helped calm him and minimized his outbursts.

Some of his behaviors included suddenly running out of his room, pulling his IV saline lock, and pulling the fire alarm among others. Throughout this ordeal, there was the minimal presence of his family. Every time Marina is working, she actively keeps an eye on him. Whenever he is quiet in his room, Marina would go in and check to ensure he did not pull any of his lines. With the staff's patience and constant supervision, he not only became more compliant with his medication but also receptive to his plan of care. He was able to follow simple instructions.

One day while rounding, I noticed he was not wearing a hospital gown. He looked happy wearing street clothes! I thought his family came to visit and brought essentials including clothes. To my surprise, I was told Marina was the one who brought these for him. When talking to her, she acknowledged asking her sons if they did not mind sharing their clothes (even shoes) that they no longer used. She went above and beyond the walls of this hospital to provide care to this patient.

Overall, 3T staff deserves commendation. They all took this patient under their wing. One nurse went to New York and brought him a souvenir t-shirt; the others would get him food from the vending machine. These might be small gestures for the staff but the impact on this patient was huge. I am so proud of this team.