Our 82-year-old mom has been in the hospital in the ICU for over a week due to respiratory failure. It has been a gut-wrenching period for our family. Most members had no idea how serious my mother's medical condition was, and watching her suffer and be in pain was difficult. Each day, we were hoping for a miracle, but the severity of the situation was difficult to accept.

While all the nurses who have attended our mom have been great, one has stood out due to not only his knowledge and skills but also his compassion and empathy. One night, Nezhdet even stayed past his shift because our mom was struggling more than usual and had blood in her urine. One of the things that stood out to us the most was during one of the moments when my mom was lucid; he asked me to translate and let her know "that she must be an incredible woman because he had seen how her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbors, and church friends have all shown up and continue to show up and support her. This shows him that she raised her family with love and did an amazing job raising them, as they are so caring." When I was finished translating, my mom had tears in her eyes, and although she couldn't speak, she had a smile. I am grateful for his dedication and experience in dealing with ICU patients but the communication and actual caring that he has provided is something that you cannot train someone, it is a genuine commitment.