My wife's visit to the ER was stressful and cumbersome. It was hard to feel appreciated and cared for as a patient, but my wife and I both saw the caring spirit of Calvin as he preemptively addressed needs and was able to not only reassure my wife while she was sore or afraid but also provided extra touches to comfort her as he used rapport he built, joked with us, and even offered cold towels and always attended to her feelings as well as her condition which he also managed in such a professional and caring way. I hadn't seen this kind of care and understanding towards patients until this particular visit to Banner University South. While my wife had hesitations about coming to Banner after a poor experience with the main location in Tucson, Calvin not only helped me feel like Banner can have our backs but also helped me not stress as much or worry about this situation. I'm glad there was someone as caring and culturally competent as Calvin. I would be glad to come back and have him as my nurse or my family's caregiver.

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I had a heart attack. I was brought to Banner South by ambulance. They called ahead and we were met by a physician. When we arrived, she had already called two heart specialists who arrived very soon. I was taken to an operating room and had an angioplasty. From there, I was taken to cardiac ICU. I was immediately transferred to a bed. Calvin Vijandre was my nurse. I cannot find enough descriptive words to describe his care for me.

For the next few hours, he hardly left my bedside. He talked to me, kept watching my vitals, and made sure I was doing well. I was there for two full days. He kept his eye on my room and continued to check every few minutes. I am sure you must know this, but I want to say you have a gem. Don't let him get away. Banner should be proud to have an employee like this young man. I see his going well up in Banner's ranks.

Note: This is Calvin's 2nd DAISY Award!