My 23-year-old daughter suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. The day started like any other, but soon my daughter began describing a headache that seemed different from her usual migraines. I'm an old critical care nurse, and my daughter is a novice nurse who was still in orientation. She fought me a bit, but we made our way to the ER. By 8 am, I was sitting in the ER with an unconscious daughter, and a bleed was confirmed on the scan. I remember thinking to myself that I had just lost her.

This moment marks the absolute worst moment in my life. As the day went by, there was some hope. The pressure had been relieved, the bleeding had been stopped, and the physicians had laid out a plan with some promise. There was still a lot of uncertainty, and my daughter was far from stable. As I tried to keep some composure, the nurse manager came to me and told me Tia would be our nurse overnight. To this day, I don't understand the magical notification process and planning that the NSICU put into place.

I know Tia agreed to come in on a night off to care for us. I am certain she did this as a personal favor for me. I've known Altiyya (Tia) Blocker for several years and am well aware of her excellent skills and compassion. The amount of relief I felt knowing Tia was with us cannot be overstated. I spent the night in the hospital room with my daughter. I was able to focus on being a mom and not a critical care nurse. I was beyond comfortable leaving that all for Tia. I knew that if anyone could get us through this instability, it would be her.

What we witnessed during the shift was remarkable and only solidified my previous respect for Tia. I knew the gravity of the situation, and Tia handled everything with grace. Tia remained calm as she dealt with a heart rate of 35 and some blood pressure instability. She kept the lights dim and quietly handled the titration of multiple infusions as if it were routine. She added pacer pads like it was a hospital gown. Much of her work was done without words. Kindness and care were just understood. We should never underestimate the power of a great nurse.

We had many great nurses over the three weeks in the hospital. Tia stands out as the calm in our storm, and I will forever be grateful. She was there for us after the initial dust of the first day had settled, and we began to wonder what my daughter's future would look like. Tia cares for all her patients this way, every time in the NSICU. She brings her composure and skill to the non-critical care units as she fills the ACT nurse role. Tia far exceeds her peers in compliments as an ACT nurse. The non-critical care units are comfortable with her expertise and are using it to help them care for their patients.

There are a few codes when Tia is an ACT nurse that show as a testament to her proactive rounding skills. She assists patients and nurses before getting into a code situation many times. We are all blessed to have her. Tia is a blessing every day to someone and forever to me. My daughter is doing well now and has returned to work as a nurse. She got to meet Tia last week and actually said, "You were my nurse" when she saw Tia for the first time since the stroke. She knew that after being sedated, intubated, and unstable, she had the best nurse possible right when she needed it. The work of Tia is helping to shape this very young nurse who is now recognizing what it takes to be among the best in the profession.