I wanted to first wish you and your team in the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit a very Happy New Year. I hope you enjoyed the holidays with your loved ones. Our family certainly did on a completely deeper level this year, after everything that happened with my father. I am not sure if you remember me from the weekend a while back when I cornered you in the hallway to share how amazing you and your staff were. I wanted to write this email a month and a half ago, after my father, R, was released from your team’s extra special care in the hospital. However, with the chaos of the holidays and simply spending every ounce of spare time with my family, the weeks flew by. And now here we are in the New Year!

My father was admitted into your unit after having what could have been a catastrophic stroke and undergoing emergency surgery the morning after Thanksgiving. No amount of words can express the gratitude that my entire family and I have for the angels who surrounded him and cared for him that weekend. Every single person who helped care for my dad was so kind and comforting during a very desperate time. They were on top of every little thing for us, and you could tell they are sincerely devoted to their patients. I know many of them had fluctuating schedules where they could be working very long hours on a given day and may be off the next, so we did not have the privilege of getting super close with each and every one of them consecutive days. However, we are beyond grateful to have had two angels in particular assigned to my father’s room for the entire duration of his stay. We feel so fortunate to get to personally know Cheyanne Timmons and Kerri Feleppa.

It brings tears to my eyes writing this because it brings me back to that terrifying weekend in the hospital when we did not know if my dad was going to make it out of surgery, and when he thankfully did, what his recovery was even going to look like. Each hour felt like an eternity as we learned more information. But by God’s grace, he was blessed with an incredible surgeon and the most upbeat, kind-hearted, funny, thoughtful, amazing nurses helping him to regain his strength and get back to his normal self. He was in your ICU unit from Friday to Monday and luckily he had Cheyanne by his side every single day and Kerri taking care of him every single night during that time.

My dad has a huge heart but a very serious demeanor, and most times, it takes solid effort to make him laugh. Well, these two had no trouble whatsoever. Cheyanne would walk in each morning, and my dad’s face would light up like a Christmas tree. Even though he was feeling lousy and was having trouble with his speech, she would get him to smile, laugh, and even conjure up jokes with the limited words he could say during his early stages of recovery. Even in his crankiest mood, she would somehow get him to do a 180 by being her normal, cheerful, sweet self.  She constantly reassured him about how much progress he was making. He never believed us, but he always believed her. The bond they developed was heartwarming to watch, and you could tell my dad truly felt safe in her care during this extremely unnerving time. Then, Kerri would come in on the night shift with her burst of positive energy and fun-loving spirit. Her big smile and vibrant eye makeup were enough to brighten anyone’s day at their worst, including my dad’s! My mother, brothers, and I hated leaving my father each night, but we knew he was in the best hands with her, and so did he. We even heard a rumor that she got him dancing a little with his favorite music! 

To have something so devastating happen to a family, but still be able to keep each other in high spirits, and having the nurses be an integral part of that process is literally everything. My mom made as many containers of homemade rice pudding as she could to show her appreciation for these wonderful nurses, but no amount will ever be enough! My dad is doing AMAZING now! He has all of his motor skills, memory, and the only thing he still struggles with is his speech, but he is making strides toward 100%! He is so lucky since his stroke could have been catastrophic or even fatal if we did not act so quickly. And the positive energy and motivation from your dedicated staff lifted his spirits and sped up his recovery process more than they could ever know.

My family got so close and comfortable with Cheyanne and Kerri that I could see my father was actually a little sad and nervous to be leaving his new friends when he was transferred out of your unit, even though it meant he was doing better. The fact that we developed such a strong trust and genuine bond with the wonderful people taking care of him in only a few days speaks for itself. I am sure anyone who comes into contact with your entire team, and these two in particular, knows how special they are. If it were up to me, I would shout it from the rooftops, but instead, I am writing this email to make sure they receive the recognition their sweet hearts deserve. When I use the word angel in this email, I truly mean it from the bottom of my heart. Thank you all so much for everything you did for our family, and please pass our love and appreciation on to all of your angels in the Neurosciences ICU. We will be forever grateful.