My husband and I want to recognize a Registered Nurse who provided exemplary care to me and my husband (patient). The nurse in charge of the cardiac team (Stephanie Thole) was so wonderful to us! She immediately identified me as his wife and welcomed me as part of the team. Although she was facing the opposite direction, my husband made a comment that he was extremely needle-phobic, and Stephanie picked up on his comment. She immediately turned around and talked to my husband, and his gaze locked towards her face. Before he even knew it, labs and/or IVs were completed in both arms without him realizing it.

Stephanie reassured me that I would be going with them upstairs to the procedure area and would be waiting nearby while he was being treated. She identified me as the "time-keeper" to all of the team members (because I knew exactly how long it had been since his symptoms had begun) and also made sure that I knew what was going on at all times.

Stephanie came to me just before the procedure began to let me know that my husband was 30 feet away from my chair in the waiting room. After the procedure, she went with us to the room on 8 Main and waited until he settled in before she left. Stephanie was our “one constant” and our “anchor.” The treatment teams in the emergency room and the cardiac lab were very calm and efficient. Not once did I feel nervous or scared about my husband because we have great faith, and I trusted his care team at Saint Mary’s. I loved that I received frequent updates, and I was involved in my husband’s care. I hope that my words of thanks brighten their day just a smidge as much as their efforts brightened mine by saving my husband's life.