The granddaughter of a patient wrote:

At the end of her life, my grandmother was very confused and would often call some of the staff members at the nursing facility who had glasses or dark hair by my name. This honoree was also called by my name. It was heart-warming to hear that my grandmother had been remembering me and thinking of me so much. I visited her almost daily, but some of those days she was unable to recall who I was in person. When my grandmother passed away, I had many thoughts and emotions running through my mind.

One of my biggest things I pondered was the question: Was she proud of me? I never knew the answer to this because my grandmother's memory was impaired when I started to accomplish my biggest achievements, like making it through nursing school all the way to becoming a nurse practitioner. The day she passed away, I received a message from this honoree: 'Your grandma kissed my head and whispered, I love you.' She pointed at my badge and said, 'You don't know how proud I am of you,' saying my name.

Words cannot express the gratitude and appreciation I have for this nurse for not only caring for my dying grandmother, but for being a vehicle for a message that I have been waiting so long to hear. I know that this was just another day on the job for her, but she made an impact by simply reaching out to me, and for that I am eternally grateful.