I was scheduled for hip scope surgery with a planned discharge the following day. However, due to some complications (non-orthopedic), I could not be discharged for another two days. Samantha introduced herself to me as my night nurse. Little did I know that I would experience an unexpected reaction that caused me to shiver, shake, and perspire uncontrollably for hours. I soaked through several gowns, my BP dropped, and I had horrendous diarrhea. To say it was pretty awful is an understatement, but Sam was there as my anchor throughout.

At one point, I told her that I felt terrible that I was requiring so much of her time when I knew she had other patients. She looked at me and said, "Lisa, you need me and I am here to take care of you and I'm not going anywhere. Something is going on with you and right now we don't know what it is, but we are going to find out." It was a scary situation for me but I knew I was in very capable hands. Sam contacted the PA and he came very quickly and even after a blood draw, we don't know the cause. At one point, Sam realized my hair was soaked and she was going to make a hair tie for me from a mask. Throughout the hours-long ordeal, Sam was professional, focused, and compassionate and we even had a few laughs.

After I finally stopped shivering, Sam looked around the room and declared that she had to clean up the piles of wet gowns, sheets, and blankets to ensure a healthy healing environment, and within a minute, she got the room in order. While I thanked her profusely at the time and the end of her shift, I appreciate the opportunity to recognize her for being an extraordinary Nurse. I would also like to note that Sam and Lucera (Lucy) made a great team and it is a testament to their partnership that results in an extraordinary patient experience. Frankly, I don't know how I would have gotten through it without them.