I would like to highlight a phenomenal nurse. My grandfather passed away in ICU at Lourdes in Lafayette. His nurse, Sara Kalantari, was absolutely phenomenal. It was very obvious she truly has a passion for nursing. She was very, very informative, explaining what each thing and medication did and the processes of what to expect. She truly made the decision to remove the vent an easier one because of her wonderful explanations and compassion. Every process was explained, and she went above and beyond to provide our entire family support. She truly made the passing of my paw a really beautiful thing. She went as far as painting his hand to make us memorial handprints, making us copies of his heartbeats, and hugging each one of us, showing true compassion. I couldn't have imagined a better nurse to experience this difficult time with. She allotted time for each family member to have private time to say goodbyes and made it such a personal experience. We never felt rushed. After he passed, she told us we could stay with him as long as we wanted, we never felt rushed or a burden. She went above and beyond, even helping me to navigate what I needed to do to get him cremated, and even suggested grants to aid in the cost. This was a woman who truly has a passion for nursing, and it is obvious it is so much more than a job for her. Even when I acknowledged her great efforts before we left, she was so humble.  She gave credit to a coworker on the nightshift who did all types of, as I'll call it, "miracle work" to keep him going until we could be there.

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Sara was an absolute rockstar. While I was ventilated, she kept me as calm as she possibly could and even helped my wife out during that hard time. I apparently had a few MRIs where I was really combative while under sedation, causing her to get pinned in the machine with me, miss her lunch, and so much more, but she stuck it out like the best nurse she is. She is truly the best!