I feel prior to speaking to this nomination, I need to begin with the history. My sister was diagnosed with AML. She is 40- a wife and mother to 3 beautiful children. She is a daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, and friend to many people.

I am also employed at Methodist but I have never personally been a part of such a critical and long-term situation until going through this with my sister. The entire staff (medical and ancillary) was by far the best team and when I review our facility's mission, vision, and values, I could not be more proud to be a part of this health system.

Tyler is an amazing nurse! Not only does he provide exceptional care, he sees the person and what they are going through. I believe that Tyler was my sister’s nurse on the 2nd day following admission. He witnessed us all at our most vulnerable times. My sister was experiencing her life change before her eyes. She was losing the ability to be home with her husband and children, not just for a day or two, but initially for 32 days! She is/was the glue to making all things flow in the family and now things were changing, fast! The sense of losing control was real for her. She realized these things while under the care of Tyler, who compassionately sat down with her, empathized, and gave her words of affirmation and encouragement. This describes our value of Patient-Centered care.

Tyler also communicated with my sister’s husband. He could see him, being the strong provider for his family and wanting to fix everything, but knew that this was much bigger than he could imagine. Tyler became a person that my sister’s husband could talk to. Tyler was genuine. He could/would communicate on his level knowing that he does not have any background in medicine. He would support him as a husband, helping him to know what to expect and how to try to assist her in the hospital and at home. This assisted him with walking through this journey with my sister and not “from the outside looking in.” This describes our value of Respectful care.

During my sister’s stay in the hospital, even when Tyler was not her nurse, he would stop by and check on her. He was usually a Core/Lead on the floor during this time. As one of the “chemo nurses” on the floor he would wear the hat of being a leader and teacher to those around him. You could see that he took his job very seriously and had received advanced qualifications (chemo training) to be a leader and mentor in his area of expertise. There were times when we would witness his other team members on the floor go to him for advice or ask him questions because they valued him and his opinion. This not only describes the Teamwork that he provides to his colleagues but also the Excellence in the care that he provides to every patient, not only the one/s that he is responsible for that shift.

We are truly grateful and thankful for the amazing care provided to our family. The entire team is extraordinary.