Being admitted to the hospital on Friday was not something that I had expected. I was sent to the ER by my doctor at 2 pm. At around 2 am on Saturday,  I was assigned a room. When I arrived, I was greeted by the loveliest nurse, Bailey. She could tell that I was tired and depleted. While she was getting me checked into the system, she went above and beyond to attend to my needs. Without saying anything, she was checking my chart and realized that I probably hadn't eaten anything since arriving at the hospital, too, which she was correct. There was no way I was going to ask her for food, but she was feeding me at 2 am and giving me water. This was not something I felt she needed to do, but she went above and beyond to make sure I was cared for.

My husband was at the hospital with me as well. He is a police officer in Tulare and began work at 5 am on Friday morning. Needless to say, by 2 am on Saturday, he was exhausted after a full day of work and then staying in the hospital with me. Bailey could see that my husband was beyond exhausted. She told him, "Go home! We've got this." My husband does not trust anyone, but he trusted Bailey and left to go to sleep at home. This kindness and respect continued throughout my entire stay. She made sure I was comfortable and taken care of. She gave me the best care while treating me like the most important patient she had.

At one point, I came out of the restroom and found water bottles on my tray because, according to her, when I asked later, she said that the water was not the best and knew I liked water because I had been drinking so much. This literally brought me to tears. Knowing her, I expected all of her other patients were receiving the same amount of care. They are lucky as well! I was saddened when her shift ended, but she came in to say goodbye before she left.

I continued to stay in the hospital through Sunday. My heart was full of joy when my nurse came in on Sunday, and it was Bailey. She came into the room like an old, trusted friend and told me she was sorry that I was still there, but she was so happy that she could see me again. Throughout the day, I received the same treatment and kindness that I had previously received. She talked with me about my family, and I learned about hers. During the day, it was discovered that I would be released that day, and my time with Bailey would be coming to an end. Her shift would soon end, and she came into my room at 5 pm to say goodbye, knowing that she would probably not make it back into my room before she went home. Bailey made my time here a positive physical and mental experience. I hope I will cross paths with Bailey again at some point. I pray that she continues her journey as a nurse and blesses others with the light, love, and passion she clearly has for being a nurse. She might have just been doing her job as a nurse, but she has touched my life forever and made my time at the hospital a core memory of my life.

Thank you, Bailey, for being you!