I first met EJ when I came to Kaiser Hospital for my second inpatient chemotherapy infusion. I noticed right away that he was both highly skilled as a nurse and very good at interacting with people. He laughs easily, and he makes it easy for others to laugh with him. He is also empathetic and gentle. He took more care than others in installing the line to my port, making sure it was comfortable and unlikely to be tugged by unexpected movements. For my third inpatient chemotherapy, I was happy to see EJ again. Remembering me from our previous encounter, he helped me feel at home with his friendly and relaxed attitude. Though he wasn't initially assigned to me, he ended up doing the majority of the work to get me started with my infusion because he was helping other busy nurses. He installed the extra-thick needle that goes into my port painlessly, even though the topical anesthetic was past its most efficacious hour. The other nurses at Kaiser have all been excellent. I have always felt respected and well cared for by them, and they all seem to have highly skilled fingers to manipulate the medical equipment necessary for my care. They are friendly and kind. But on this day I realized EJ was the one that these amazing caregivers were relying on to help them when they were trying to do too much. He went the extra mile to help his colleagues while still providing the same gentle, unhurried, friendly care he provides as one's assigned nurse.

Over the following days, EJ was assigned to me, giving me more opportunities to observe him at work. When he walked into my room, it felt more like a friend visiting than a random competent healthcare worker. On the last day, he again banished pain from my port, as he extracted that gargantuan needle without an ouch. I'm sorry that I don't recall all the wit and banter that passed between us, because they would have made this short essay much more fun. What sticks with me, though, is the memory of how having EJ in the room always made me feel: cared for and in good hands.