I'm writing today to give recognition, where it's long overdue, to an amazing person who has been left in the shadows of what I can only imagine has to be one of the darkest places in life itself, the ICU. I met Tracey Wood-Williams when my sister was admitted into the St. Elizabeth Intensive Care Unit with a diagnosis of septic shock, which I consider the shadow of death.

Tracey and our families' union was very short-lived because my sister passed away hours later, but that short-lived unionbecame a lifelong bond that we are more than grateful for! As I've said a million times since that dreadful time of death, we lost an angel from our family tree, but we gained another.

There is no person in the medical field on this earth like her that I've met thus far. My family has been hit hard by serious medical problems that couldn't even hold a flicker of light compared to the shining light that pours out of Tracey. She's like a lighthouse, standing strong in the night, showing us the way through the deep, dark waters and fog-filled air of the scariest times in our lives. In the daylight,t she's still just the same, standing strong, beautifully welcoming to all, instilling some sort of peace inside you, never wavering.

I don't know what life is like as a nurse, especially an intensive care nurse; however, I do know how everyday life takes a toll on everyday people. We are all just trying to keep going as fast as we can these days because, it seems, life itself has sped up. I also know that Tracey was clocking out to go home from her already long day, not long after my sister was admitted into the ICU unit. She did clock out, but not long after that, Tracey returned, not because she had to, but because she knew that my sister was going to have to battle for her life, and Tracey was willing to go to war with her and my whole family. That's a Nurse!

You had to be there to know just how much Tracey did for not only my sister, but for our entire family. I saw an angel on earth that night, hovering over my sister. I saw a mother come out in her, fighting like it was her own child lying on that bed. I saw a friend, a comforter for everyone, and there were a lot of us there, with a lot of questions, screaming in fear, shedding tears, and everything else imaginable, but Tracey showed nothing but compassion, strength, and love for every single one of us.

My sister and Tracey fought together for what seemed like forever. Tracey would not stop until my mom gave her permission, and you could see in her eyes that, like my mom, she did not want to stop fighting for her. In the end, they lost the battle, but ultimately won the war together. Tracey went on to become an advocate for raising sepsis awareness, and my sister went home to meet our Jesus.

She left behind three young children and our mother, who was battling stage 4 colon cancer during all this. Tracey continued to check on them all. We lost Mom 15 short months after my sister. Tracey was there to support me, my dad, and all of our children.

Additionally, my children's father just went through a quadruple heart bypass. Tracey was at my beck and call because I had nobody left for support. She has gone above and beyond her work title or job description.  She became part of our family that early morning in December, and she has been a rock for us every day since. Many times she has put herself and her own family on the back burner for just my family, and knowing her, she's doing the exact same for other families.

She's still just a text or call away today. I know that no matter what day or night, tired or with her family, she's there when we need her, an unwavering lighthouse for all!