My 85-year-old mother who has been blessed with good health and no medications recently had an onset of severe asthma. She was managed appropriately by a couple of trips to the ER and her physician. She did not seem to recover despite her treatments. She ended up back in the ER and was diagnosed with afib. She was sent to the ICCU for administration of medication and to monitor her status. Candace was her nurse. I have worked in healthcare my entire career. You think you know how to handle a situation but when it's your mom, everything you thought you knew goes out the window.

From the moment Mom met Candace, it was love. Candace knew mom was scared of this new diagnosis that would mean new medications from now on. She saw the fear in Mom's voice and face about maybe not getting well. Candace calmed those fears. She allowed Mom to ambulate on her own by sitting in a chair, and using the potty, and not a bedpan. She took the extra time that Mom needed, without anyone asking, and made her feel good. She brought her a phone so she could call her twin sister to check on her.

I insisted on limited visitation because she was so weak and needed the rest. Candace made sure I was informed of all the tests and calls that had come through. She introduced me to the hospitalist and walked us through all the things that we would need to know going home. She cut up the food for Mom and made sure she had what she needed. It was hard to choose one nurse from that department as all of them were superior. But when asked, Mom said Candace should get the credit for her care.