Nicole was my Pre-Op nurse who was in charge of getting me ready before my dual surgery for endometriosis and on my bladder. She was beyond wonderful; her kindness went above and beyond expectations. This is my third surgery for my disease, but it is the first time having two surgeons working on me back-to-back. Nicole made the rotating door of people coming in and out of my room in the morning of the surgery feel less stressful by explaining to me why everyone was coming in, what the next steps were, and how everything would look.

What I appreciated was how seamlessly she comforted and incorporated my partner into the conversation and into everything she did. As a young gay couple, it is common for staff to not include my partner in discussions or make sure her concerns are being met. But Nicole spoke to her, getting to know us, asking us questions about our lives, and taking the time to not only do her job extremely efficiently but also allow my partner to help when she could. This not only gave me comfort but also helped ease my partner's nerves about the procedure. Nicole also heard my concerns about my recent POTS diagnosis and made sure that the Post-Op team knew to support me with that and even went back to registration and got me a fall risk bracelet since I mentioned I was feeling dizzy given that my surgery was early morning, and I had to fast. My partner also had left her coffee cup in one of the paperwork rooms, and Nicole went around and found it for her without us even asking, just overheard us talking about how my partner had lost it in the transition.

One of the biggest things she did other than some excellent nursing (getting not one but TWO hand IVs on the first try when I historically have the most difficult veins), she also connected to me, offering her own experience with her daughter and chronic pelvic pain. It was so touching to know she cared, especially going into a surgery where the outcome was largely unknown about my fertility in the future. Nicole gave such a stunning example of what proper care with kindness and humanity can look and feel like. For that, I am so very thankful for her.