Last week my world flipped upside down. A normal Tuesday quickly turned into a nightmare. I sat in a room at Parkridge East and was told my baby brother, my best friend, was critically ill and was only to get sicker. My heart broke, all I could do was promise to be by his side and support them. I prayed for nurses and doctors that would be patient with my brother and my family as we walked down this scary path. The day we met Kaetlyn Schaff in room 5 – our new home, I felt a level of peace I hadn’t felt before. I know she had an ethical responsibility to provide care to him, but she did so much more. We saw her genuinely make connections with him. She was gentle, kind and a trusting voice. She became our person. My brother started to go through withdrawal and became a rather difficult patient and more medically complex. The more our fear grew, the more Kaetlyn stood strong and steady. She met our fear with calm. Our feeling of hopelessness with hope. She shared her knowledge and experience with us, answering all my questions and concerns. His entire care team welcomed us in and made us feel involved in his care and recovery. My brother is not out of the woods and his recovery will extend far beyond his time at Parkridge but I can’t imagine going through the past week without Kaetlyn. She was so much more than my brother’s ICU nurse to me and my family. I have no doubt she is doing exactly what she was put on this earth to do. Every patient family member and coworker is blessed to have her as part of their team. As my brother’s recovery continues just know so does the impact she’s made in our lives. Today is Valentine’s Day, a day of celebrating love. Thank you for showing us this selfless love that we are called to show to all people. She is absolutely a reminder of all the good in this world. From the bottom of my heart . . . thank you.