Our son was not feeling well one day and was taken to the ER. They found that he had a stroke and he was sent to the Neuro ICU. After being there for a while, he was transferred to the Cardiovascular ICU. All the nurses we met on both floors were wonderful, but one stood out and quickly became his (and our) favorite nurse.

Melody was with us the weekend that they woke our son up after he had a tracheostomy and peg tube placed. When she woke him up, we were able to see just how much his left side was affected by the stroke. Unfortunately, he could not feel or move his left side at all. Even though Melody specializes in cardiac nursing, she was incredibly knowledgeable about all the neurological issues he was having. She took such great care of him, and we believe she was instrumental in his recovery. Melody was constantly in the room and worked very hard to keep him stable. She also made sure to inform us of everything she was doing and why. She was always quick to answer any questions that we had and put us at ease if he looked uncomfortable or seemed like he was not making enough progress. She did her best to keep his left side strong and helped teach us how to work with him and move his left side.

She also spent a great deal of time talking to us about different rehabilitation options that he may have and making sure we understood what to ask for when we got to that point in our journey. Not only did Melody spend most of her weekend working with our son and loving on him, but every day that she was up at the hospital after that, she would come by and check on him.

One day she came in and got within his line of sight to say hello and he smiled at her. It was the first time we saw him smile since he was admitted. He gave her a hug with his good side and cried as she hugged him back and told him how proud she was of him and the work he was putting in.

Another day, Melody came in and helped another nurse to take him on a field trip to the prayer garden for a change of scenery and to get some fresh air. As we moved from room to room through the hospital, she always came to see him and made sure to tell him that he was making so much progress and how proud she was of him. She was also great at reminding us that his recovery would be a marathon and not a sprint and to celebrate each accomplishment. Melody is a shining star, and we are so grateful for the compassion she showed to him and to us during this frightening time. We have no doubt that our son would not be as far into his recovery as he is without the encouragement and motivation that Melody gave to him.