I have just spent 8 weeks in the RHH, 4 weeks in ICU on life support, and then, when ready, I was moved up to K9 West.

I had just had a large part of my bowel removed, as a result I often needed to use the toilet in a hurry. After the initial operation at Calvary, I had suffered a massive aspiration of my stomach contents into my lungs plus other serious complications.

In K9 Ruth assisted my greatly by helping me to the bathroom. She showed me great dignity even when cleaning me up; she made me feel much more at ease than when I arrived from ICU.

Ruth has a great bedside manner and took a genuine interest in how I was feeling. She is a true professional in her role. She knows how to operate all the required equipment for gastric feed tubes, drips, etc. Ruth is a very confident nurse, and it was very reassuring to see her at work.

When I was scheduled to have a nebuliser at 4:00am, Ruth would come in and gently wake me up without putting on the bright overhead lights. When it was quiet at this time of the night, we had some lovely short conversations.

I heard Ruth tell another patient next door who was feeling like he was wasting the nurses' time, “You are not wasting my time. I am here to make sure you get better ….” It was so nice to hear, as I knew she genuinely meant it.

I celebrated my 65th birthday while in K9. Ruth did a daily countdown on the in-room "My Care" whiteboard, which was lovely and made me feel special.

On one occasion, Ruth noticed my right arm was a bit fatter than my left arm. Instead of ignoring it, she reported it to the doctors, who then organised an ultrasound. The ultrasound confirmed blood clots in my arm, and as a result, an ongoing course of blood thinners has been prescribed; I regard this as an example of excellent nursing.

Upon being discharged and being transferred to rehab, I gave the ward a small gift and a thank-you card; with Ruth in mind, the card summed up the work that nurses in the RHH perform as “Beyond Amazing.”

I wish Ruth every success in her career.