I would like to recognize Abigail Sammons for the extraordinary care and compassion she provided to a young male patient with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS).

This patient, intubated and severely weakened by his neuromuscular condition, was facing immense physical and emotional challenges. One of his biggest struggles was communication—his attempts to mouth words around the endotracheal tube often went misunderstood, which understandably left him anxious and frustrated. Despite these barriers, Abby never stopped trying to connect with him.

Abby was responsible for completing verticalization therapy using a tilt bed. The patient had previously tolerated only short durations upright, but under Abby’s care, he remained tilted for a remarkable 45 minutes—his longest and most successful session yet. But what truly set Abby apart was the intentionality and kindness she brought to this moment.

Abby took the time to learn the patient’s favorite music and played it during the session. She encouraged him to dance—knowing that movement, joy, and distraction could be just as therapeutic as the physical positioning. The patient, though only able to move his shoulders and slightly twitch his extremities, began shimmying along to the music. His face lit up. His anxiety visibly eased. For those 45 minutes, he was not a patient in a hospital bed, but a young man finding joy and agency in his own body again.

Abby's ability to humanize care, to read beyond the clinical indicators and truly see her patient, is what nursing is all about. Her empathy, creativity, and unwavering presence transformed what could have been another difficult therapy session into a breakthrough moment of happiness and dignity.

This is just one example of the kind of nurse Abby is every day. Her actions exemplify the spirit of compassionate, patient-centered nursing and left a lasting impact on the patient.