I recently had surgery, and KeriLynne was my nurse for the night. I had a previous care team that I felt did not hear me. This is scary and disparaging, especially with all the recent research surrounding African American women and healthcare management (specifically inpatient). I felt alone and scared and felt that advocating for myself fell on deaf ears. Kerilynne turned my entire perspective around. Kerilynne came in and changed my whole outlook on Penn and the medical staff. She was very attentive, transparent, and knowledgeable. Her soft skills were through the roof. This is so important coming out of a major surgery with no family in town, and little kids at home hoping that their mother gets better and returns home safely. I felt seen and heard, and it did not stop that night. KeriLynne was my nurse the next night, and the quality of care was just through the roof. I have had surgery before at other hospitals and also in other states, and I will say this was one of the best experiences. Keri has made a lasting impression on me. I was sad that my discharge date did not fall on the date that she was onsite. I cried tears of joy meeting her and as I’m writing this, I am getting emotional just thinking such a hard time she was a light and just made a difference in my recovery. I just want to just think I don’t even know if this nomination is enough, but she really helped me through a tough time, and I know that. I’m stronger because of how much she supported me.