This past February, Cali was assigned to a 70-year-old patient who had previously suffered a stroke. This woman suffered from a condition because of the stroke, which caused her to become very emotional and cry for no apparent reason. Staff were busy and were not able to respond to her frequent emotional crying outbursts. Cali provided nursing care for this patient, but did not stop there.

Cali took the time to give the patient some extra TLC. She bathed the patient, washed her hair, found a comb, and braided the patient’s hair. When I walked into the room to follow up with Cali, the patient was smiling and loving the extra attention she was getting, and was no longer crying.

After the students had left for the day, the patient’s husband, who had arrived later in the day, sought me out to tell me how great Cali was with his wife. He repeatedly commented on how impressed he was with her professionalism and caring nature. He stated that Cali was very patient with his wife and was going to be a great nurse!

Cali not only provided nursing care to her patient, but she also took time to holistically meet her patient’s emotional needs. She saw past the stroke patient and saw the woman who was no longer able to provide care for herself and make herself feel pretty. Cali’s actions were a symbolic reflection of the famous quote by Maya Angelou: “As a nurse, we can heal the mind, soul, heart, and body of our patients. They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel”.