My grandmother was downgraded from the critical care unit and Christopher was her day-shift registered RN for two days. Each day he was pleasant, professional, and compassionate towards my grandmother who suffers from dementia and is very forgetful. He has been patient with her because she was also unable to speak clearly and had difficulty getting her words out.

But what really stood out the most with Christopher was a situation in which he was advocating for my grandmother. She had discharge orders placed and our family had not been updated by any case manager or social worker on the plan for discharge. The caseworker had determined that my grandmother would be placed in a skilled nursing facility and I spoke with case managers telling them that was not the plan. After speaking with Christopher about this, he called in concern about my grandmother not looking like she is medically clear due to swallowing issues. He not only reached out to the doctor and speech pathologist for a new evaluation but also requested for a social worker/ case manager to come speak with the family in person.

They at the time refused to and kept calling my mother on the phone to make a big decision last minute, while she was busy with a doctor's appointment of her own. Christopher listened attentively, escalated to the Charge Nurse, and was able to get my grandmother's discharge canceled so she could continue to get a barium swallow evaluation done and give us time to tour facilities appropriate for Grandma to be discharged to. Because of his compassion, attention to detail, and not only the care my grandma needs but the care as a family unit, he deserves to be recognized as truly what the title " registered nurse" embodies.