After a week of suffering with an intense migraine, my 19-year-old daughter finally agreed to let me take her to the ER. She would only go if we went to the ER at Grand Island Regional. This is because of previous experience at this hospital.

On the 40-minute drive to the ER, my daughter explained she would only go to this facility because she feels that, based on other experiences in other facilities, migraine patients are not taken seriously and are rushed out of ER rooms.

What a relief it was to have had a positive experience from check-in to intake to examination to dismissal. Each individual we encountered was amazing, but the one who stood above the others was the nurse named Nikki.

The minute the door opened, and we were called back, we could feel a positive vibe coming from the nurse. I can't tell you what a relief it was to have a nurse like Nikki who patiently listened to my daughter, spoke to her in a calm and soothing tone, and treated her with respect. She talked to her, and not at her.

She explained the meds she was giving K. She checked in on K and respectfully asked how she was doing during the administration of the IV. She sympathized with my daughter and showed caring on the human level that we should all strive to treat one another.

My daughter needed to experience this because, for the past 7 years, she has battled a chronic pain condition that numerous people don't believe she has or isn't as bad as she says it is. She needed to see that there are caring people in the medical field.

Thank you, Nurse Nikki, for coming to GI Regional to work in the ER department. If no one else says it, you are a Rock Star!