I wanted to take a few moments to recognize the care my brother-in-law received while he was in the hospital until he passed away. S was diagnosed with cancer in May of 2024 and fought courageously until the end. He had several ups and downs and was admitted to the hospital multiple times. His last admission occurred on the Thursday before Thanksgiving. He was admitted and remained on the floor before moving to step-down and ultimately to the MICU. When he was moved to MICU on Black Friday, Sperry, the wonderful NP, met with them to go over their options. They ultimately decided to pursue intubation, knowing the risk of never waking back up was a strong possibility. Sperry told them to get the family on site ASAP so he could talk with them. Because of Sperry’s quick response and conversation with my sister, she was able to have their children brought to the hospital within an hour, so they had the chance to talk to their Dad.

After S was intubated, my sister went back to talk to his nurse, Ty. Ty was not only a Godsend that day, but every day he took care of S. My sister, C, asked me to be with her when they started explaining everything because I am a nurse and would have a better understanding of what was going on. Ty was wonderful in explaining everything he was doing while building a relationship with my sister as he provided care. We had other wonderful nurses throughout the hospital stay. When he returned after being off for a couple of days, he was assigned to other patients. The following day, Ty gave up one of his established patients to be with S again. Being a nurse, I know how much easier it is to have the same patients for consecutive shifts, but he gladly wanted S as his patient again.

When everything was discontinued, Ty helped get my sister into bed with S for one last snuggle. Then Ty hugged me and cried along with the rest of the family and me as C sang him to the arms of Jesus. The best way I know to describe those last few moments is that they were beautifully terrible. We’re so sad S is no longer with us, but we know he loved Jesus, and we will be with him again one day.

After S passed, Ty and his friend cleaned him up with dignity and respect. The hospitalist that day was wonderful. That was the only day she had S, and I believe it was God’s hand at work. She was very compassionate and empathetic and wanted to ensure S was comfortable. She gave us the idea of making necklaces with S’s fingerprint for the kids. I talked to Ty, and he and his friend contacted labor and delivery to send down ink pads so we could obtain his fingerprint. The necklaces have already been ordered for Christmas, and had it not been for them going above and beyond, it would not have been possible.

Sperry came back on the day the daycare was withdrawn, and even though S was not her patient, she made a point of coming to see my sister before she left. And to top everything off, Ty came to S’s visitation after he got off work. S was so involved in so many areas and was such a wonderful person that the line to see the family took an hour and a half at its longest. I know Ty was exhausted from his 12-hour shift, but he drove all the way to Gardendale to see C. He was so impactful that she specifically mentioned him in S’s obituary. I told Ty that I know how hard nursing can be and how easy it is to get burned out, but he is living out his calling. I pray he has been rejuvenated and refreshed in his calling as a nurse.

I know working in a hospital is daunting, and I know you hear a lot more negatives than positives. Thank you for doing everything possible for S and C. My family is forever grateful for everything the entire team has done for them.