I have worked at AdventHealth Altamonte for over 20 years. In all this time, I have never met another individual that exemplified our mission as this nurse does. From the moment I met this nurse, she has always had a positive attitude and a smile on her face. Most recently, a patient even commented she could tell that Laura, “Always had a smile on under that mask.” She has amazingly read the Bible, cover to cover, three times. She lives and portrays the word of God which can be seen and felt without her saying a word.

Working with the type of patients we have in our unit takes skill but most of all takes patience, compassion, and understanding. You must care for the patient as well as their family and friends to help them throughout their journey. Several people feel working with these patients is sad and depressing. We have been blessed to have this nurse precept several nursing students that stated they did not want to become a nurse in this unit. A significant percentage of our staff have been those same students she precepted. Several patients requested this nurse because of her genuine kindness. We had a patient required to come in frequently for his chemo treatments and other ailments. His devoted wife would stay with him every moment he was in the hospital. This nurse offered encouragement to him and uncommon compassion to his terrified wife. When he was in remission, they wanted to try to have a baby which required the assistance of an infertility doctor. This nurse was there to support her during this journey too when he was required to travel for work. They now have a beautiful baby girl.

This nurse cared for one of our hospital's chaplains who was diagnosed with cancer. During his last hospital stay, this nurse was engaged to be married. This nurse created such a bond with him, she asked him if he would officiate her wedding. His condition worsened and this nurse knew how much it meant to them both for him to officiate her marriage, so she planned to have the wedding ceremony in his hospital room. He was discharged home with hospice before this could happen.

Make It Easy, Keep Me Safe, and Own It:

This nurse works as a relief charge on our unit. There were times another unit needed a charge nurse, and this nurse was willing to help every time. The units she has floated as relief charge has praised her for her positivity and kindness. She has a unique ability, without trying, to bring joy even in the most stressful situations. She seeks out others to offer help without judgment but with excitement.