Both my son and my husband were patients on 3F within the past few months. First, in October 2022 my then 19-month-old son had ear tube placement and an adenoidectomy procedure. It was terrifying- this is my baby and he's about to go under the knife and I can't even be there with him! The entire thing went smoothly. and when I was called back to be with him as he awoke from anesthesia, Krista was there. She was holding him so lovingly, rocking him and cuddling him to soothe him. He was screaming and writhing from the dizziness and disorientation of having been under anesthesia. Krista was so reassuring to me; telling me how normal this was and that his surgery had gone fine, it was just a typical child's reaction to first-time anesthesia. She explained his stats, reviewing his pulse and blood pressure readings. As I held him, she gave him a bit more pain med in his IV and let me know it would help to continue calming him. Her empathy and kindness were above and beyond.

In January of 2023 I again came to Unit 3F; this time to accompany my husband for his sinus surgery. And again, as he woke from anesthesia I was brought back to PACU to find Krista was our assigned nurse. Just like she had with my son, Krista was welcoming, kind and compassionate in every way. She made sure that my husband was comfortable and had everything he needed and explained to me everything. that was going on. When my husband was ready to leave Krista even personally pushed him out to me at the car when no transporters were available even though she was supposed to take her lunch. I so appreciated her doing that for us.

What stood out most to me in both experiences was not only her sincere compassion, but also her extremely detailed discharge instruction education. For both my son and my husband she went over it all with us in-depth, ensuring we understood everything and had no follow-up questions. I truly felt prepared to care for both of my favorite people in the world after Krista helped prepare me to take them home.