Dana was my mother's nurse when we chose to place her on comfort cares. She suffered from seizures due to her brain cancer and was very uncomfortable. Dana contacted the doctor and asked for a change in medication frequency. She spent the next seven hours administering medication to my mother every ten minutes. She held her hand and cried with our family. She went above and beyond to make sure that our entire family was taken care of. She had several other comfort care patients who required just as much attention but we never felt like she didn't want to be there helping our family. Dana was never phased by the amount of family in the room. She was always welcoming and made everyone feel at ease. We lost our mother later that night, but our family will never forget the impact Dana had on Mom's final moments. She allowed her to pass comfortably with dignity, surrounded by her loved ones. We will never forget the care Dana provided to Mom and our entire family.

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My mother had a difficult last few months with her health declining. She sustained many falls, the last one which resulted in a broken hip with surgical repair. It was complicated by anemia requiring blood transfusion, then new onset Grand Mal Seizures thought to be from febrile infection. When everything came back negative for cause, the imaging indicated her brain lymphoma (remission since 2017) had come back. Meanwhile, mom had been down in Florida for rehabilitation, and her daughters were flying back and forth to be with her. As we all knew time was not on our side, I made it my mission to bring her back Home to Iowa. While the road trip was difficult, we made some memories together and the destination was worth it. She got to spend Christmas with her family. She was admitted to Great River later on where her prognosis was poor, and the family agreed to Comfort Care. Many family members and friends visited Mom from her lifetime, all of whom were able to treasure her last moments with her. We all shared stories, cried, laughed, played music, and sent my mom up to Heaven. Her nurse, Dana Strawhacker, was on the day that mom transitioned through the end-of-life stages. She spent the majority of her shift at her mom's bedside, giving medications frequently to help keep her comfortable. I will never forget the smiles and giggles from her as she endured listening to our crazy memories and shenanigans. I told her that after spending that much time with us, she was essentially family! How she cared for my momma is the best we could have asked for, and something I will never, ever forget!! Thank you, Dana!!