I had quite an extensive neck fusion. By the time I arrived in my room and became aware of my surroundings, it was well into the late night. I began to have amazing care from the nursing staff. Early in the morning, I needed to have a chat with the Charge Nurse, who happened to be Ryan. The chat was because it was the day before my 40th wedding anniversary, and I knew I had to spend it in the hospital, but still wanted to do something special for my wife, D. I told Ryan about how D and I met in church on a Sunday and literally got married 5 days later. I also shared that D is on the heart transplant list because of congestive heart failure and how I care for her while we wait for a donor. I asked Ryan if there was anything that could be done to celebrate this very special landmark in our marriage while I was recovering from surgery. He was very moved by my request. You could just tell that he wanted D and me to have a memory. Ryan assured me that he would start by emailing his supervisor, and within just a few hours, I had the kitchen manager in my room making special arrangements for a lunch that was not even part of the hospital's menu.

The next day, D arrived at my room and appeared to be very sad about the day, when she would usually be excited. The nursing staff was in and out of my room, knowing full well what had been planned, and no one gave away the surprise! At 11:15 a.m., to my total surprise, the head chef delivered our meal and set it up on a table with a black tablecloth, fine white china, and fine glassware. It brought tears of joy to our eyes. Ryan made a memorable anniversary for two very unhealthy people. It is possible this could be the very last anniversary I spend with my wife, so thank you, Ryan, for getting us the most amazing anniversary gift ever. He deserves recognition for his efforts.