My 63-year-old husband had a double lung transplant, and a couple of days before his scheduled discharge, he became very ill with sepsis. He went into septic shock and was transferred overnight from the 6th floor to the MICU. He was critically ill and very unstable. He was on 11 IV meds (4 pressors), and his survival was uncertain. Allison was his nurse immediately after coming back to the ICU. She was informative, shared her knowledge with us, was honest about the possible outcomes we were facing, and was willing to share her opinions and join in on our family conversations and decisions when invited to. She was always considering the next steps, anticipating problems, and never stepping out of the room.

Her knowledge and skills were above any of our expectations. My husband had many great nurses during the 2+ months he was in the hospital, but during those few days of critical illness, we believe Allison's attention, skill, knowledge, compassion, and communication were essential to the outcome he experienced. Allison was involved as though she had a stake in the outcome. She was our advocate, friend, teacher, and our rock during the turbulence of his illness. We are extremely grateful to her for giving so much to my husband and family. There are really no words to express our gratitude and appreciation. I honestly believe that my husband would not have survived the illness were it not for Allison's excellent nursing.