It is with great love and appreciation that I nominate Ann McGrath for her compassion in the face of horrible circumstances. Ann and I have known each other for a few years, and I have had the opportunity to work side by side with Ann in both the emergency department and long-term care. On a random Monday, my medically complicated father had a medical emergency and was brought to the ER at Heywood. After his initial workup, my father was placed on comfort measures to ease his passing.

Ann came in at the beginning of her shift and treated my grieving family with compassion and endless kindness from beginning to end. She advocated for medications for my dad, and was endlessly offering kind words, tissues, water, space, whatever we needed.
My father finally passed at the end of Ann’s shift and she was a rock for me the entire time. As a fellow ER nurse, I was grateful for her commitment to explaining everything to my siblings so I didn't have to and was allowed to just grieve.
Don’t ever stop being the amazing nurse that you are! The entire event was surreal and you kept me grounded as a friend, colleague, and patient advocate. Love you to pieces!