I was a patient in the CRC unit in St. Joes Elgin facility. I had my right knee replaced and things went terribly wrong during my surgery and I ended up having to go to CRC to regain my strength. Melinda was my nurse for many days, and she was an amazing nurse. She would go above and beyond in all of her care to reassure me that things were going well. I am an RN, so I know what it takes to become a great nurse. Melinda always would go out of her way to make sure I felt good about myself. She came on shift one day and found me in tears - I was missing my dog. She shared pictures of her dogs with me to help ease my pain. I then shared pictures of my baby, which also helped, and just her taking the time to spend with me meant the world. She then told me that we could arrange a visit for my dog. So, on a Saturday, my husband brought him to the front circle by the flags, and Melinda took me downstairs to meet them. I was armed with her floor phone # to call when I was done with our visit. She even brought him out a pan of water - going above and beyond for my baby boy. At the end of my stay in CRC, I had a chest X-ray. They found multiple densities. A doctor I was not fond of came to see me and gave me a different reading than what the report read. Melinda was the one who read the "actual report" to me and set my mind to ease once again. She is just an awesome nurse who is great at advocating for her patients. She is amazing at staying on top of her patients' pain levels and pain medications as well. She is a nurse who deserves all the awards in the world.