My entire adult life, I've lived in and out of the doctors' office, procedure rooms, ERs, and hospitals, with a combined count of over 40 surgeries and procedures. So, needless to say, I've been around the block a time or two, and I've met many medical professionals, especially nurses, over the past 13+ years. This ER visit happened to be immediately after a procedure, in which they hadn't quite listened to me to treat and medicate me correctly. Victoria was an incredible help and a breath of fresh air in helping not just treat me, but treat me like a seen human being and not just another patient.

I was in an immense and unbearable amount of pain, barely able to walk, sit, or even lie down. Victoria made sure to really listen to me, and allow me the time to thoroughly explain the issue at hand through the deep fog of pain I was in, along with my brief medical history. She allowed me the dignity to express myself and specify what exactly I needed (though she was the medical professional and me the patient). Though I was in fear of the shot she needed to give me, she was patient, kind, and respectful of every last detail. I'm no simple patient, I have a slew of medical issues and medication issues, along with CRPS making everything that much harder. Yet Victoria was kind, patient, and understanding of the amount of pain I was in, helping my fiancé who was falling apart watching me in so much pain and over-expressing her concerns; she ensured I was treated with the utmost respect as a transgender man, ensuring correct pronouns, not asking dumb questions, I could write a short story on how happy and comfortable I felt throughout this very difficult ER visit.

Thank you, Victoria, for treating me and my fiancé with respect. Thank you for not judging the fact that we're 25 years apart, the fact that I'm transgender and haven't changed my name. I can't say enough good things about how helpful you were during one of the worst pain-stricken episodes I'd had in a very long time.