September 2026 Honoree
Alyssa Valdez, RN
Alyssa Valdez made a profound difference in our mother's hospital stay—a difference so significant that we truly believe it changed the outcome of her care and the course of our family's entire experience.
Our mother is 96 years old and the undeniable matriarch of our family. During her hospitalization, we were feeling overwhelmed, defeated, and deeply frustrated. In one of our hardest moments, while we were sitting in the waiting room, Alyssa went out of her way to come find us. She recognized that we were struggling and took the time to sit down, listen, and truly understand our goals.
For our family, the priority was always quality of life over quantity. Alyssa listened with incredible patience and empathy, validating our concerns and absorbing our vision for our mother’s care. She didn't stop at just listening. Alyssa became our advocate, stepping in to bridge the gap between our family and the physicians. She approached the doctors and successfully got them to pause, listen, and understand what we had been trying to communicate all along. She shifted the direction of my mother's treatment by centering it around what mattered most to us.
Before leaving us, she offered a simple, heartfelt hug that gave us the strength to keep going. Alyssa went far beyond clinical nursing; she cared for our mother by caring for our entire family. She stood up for a 96-year-old woman’s right to have her voice and values respected, acting as our guardian angel when we needed one most. Her compassion, advocacy, and heartfelt vision restored our dignity and peace during a critical time, and we are forever grateful for her.
Our mother is 96 years old and the undeniable matriarch of our family. During her hospitalization, we were feeling overwhelmed, defeated, and deeply frustrated. In one of our hardest moments, while we were sitting in the waiting room, Alyssa went out of her way to come find us. She recognized that we were struggling and took the time to sit down, listen, and truly understand our goals.
For our family, the priority was always quality of life over quantity. Alyssa listened with incredible patience and empathy, validating our concerns and absorbing our vision for our mother’s care. She didn't stop at just listening. Alyssa became our advocate, stepping in to bridge the gap between our family and the physicians. She approached the doctors and successfully got them to pause, listen, and understand what we had been trying to communicate all along. She shifted the direction of my mother's treatment by centering it around what mattered most to us.
Before leaving us, she offered a simple, heartfelt hug that gave us the strength to keep going. Alyssa went far beyond clinical nursing; she cared for our mother by caring for our entire family. She stood up for a 96-year-old woman’s right to have her voice and values respected, acting as our guardian angel when we needed one most. Her compassion, advocacy, and heartfelt vision restored our dignity and peace during a critical time, and we are forever grateful for her.
Thank you, Alyssa, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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