I was admitted to Valley Hospital for chronic diarrhea combined with a viral infection that left me completely exhausted, malnourished, and unable to eat. I had inflammation in my colon, fluid in my lungs, edema in my liver, low hemoglobin, white blood cells in my stool, the list goes on. At 61, I had always been a healthy, vibrant person & I now found myself helpless and very scared. As a patient, it gets confusing to keep track of doctors, records, procedures, etc. I was completely overwhelmed and not strong enough to follow through with getting my records & test results that the Valley doctors were requesting. On the day that Mara was my nurse, everything changed.

From the second she came in to introduce herself and the nurse she was precepting, she exuded a professional and capable demeanor. She also had the kindest, most beautiful smile. Everything that came up throughout that day, Mara was able to solve in minutes. She reached out to my doctor about a medication & came back into the room with my pills in minutes. I was scheduled for a colonoscopy/endoscopy, and the Gastroenterologist was requesting my test results for my previous colonoscopy with another Dr. I repeatedly called that Dr's office and was having trouble getting the records sent to Valley. Mara suggested getting the records from my patient portal & I was utterly confused about how to get those records sent digitally to Valley. (I am a technology spaz!). Mara helped me download the records & print them. The print was so small & hard to read, and she suggested scanning the document and printing it larger. She quickly took care of everything & got my readable test results to the Gastroenterologist so that she could see them before my procedure that was scheduled for the next morning. I simply cannot overstate Mara's exceptional nursing skills.

In addition, Mara treated me with nothing but kindness and compassion. Her warm smile and her outstanding nursing skills are a gift to all her patients. I cannot thank her enough for making me feel safe and special at a very vulnerable time. Mara is priceless.