July 2026 Honoree
Anyssa Grunnes, RN
When I first got to the ER and later was admitted, I was at multiple points experiencing ten out of ten pain. A few days later, it improved, but it was still around a six or seven at times. During this period I started having pain in my legs that was unrelated to everything else going on. It was because I had not been moving much. I had become so inactive that I was starting to get leg cramps.
On a pain scale those leg cramps were probably a one out of ten, but they caused me more anguish than the seven out of ten pain that would sometimes bring me to tears. The reason was because the higher pain could be treated, but the only treatment for the anguish I was experiencing in my legs was to walk. Every day at physical therapy, I was so excited just to walk. At that time I was very unsteady and dealing with a lot of different issues.
Eventually, I had a nurse, Anyssa, who spent about thirty minutes of her time during a twelve-hour shift walking with me. I know how busy nurses are, and this was not something she had to do. It was not a vital task, and I felt extremely guilty for taking up her time. She talked with me while we walked and shared a story about how she had experienced restless leg syndrome during a long flight and had to walk up and down the airplane aisles.
The way she talked with me completely changed how I felt. I went from feeling guilty for wanting to walk to feeling like she genuinely wanted me to ask. She made it feel like helping me was important to her and that she cared deeply, not just about me but about her patients in general. It almost felt like she would have felt worse if I hadn't asked for help.
Not only was I in pain and unable to fix it on my own, but I also felt like a burden before she stepped in. The fact that she took time out of her very busy day to relieve my anguish, and did so in such a human and kind way, meant everything to me. After walking with her, my mental health improved significantly.
I was really struggling with the idea of spending New Year’s Eve in the hospital, but after that interaction I felt noticeably better. I was more willing to stay in the hospital longer to make sure I was safe. What she did had a huge impact on my hospital stay, and it came from something that may seem small on the surface.
If Anyssa can make this much of a difference in my life through something like this, I can only imagine how incredible she is in situations where even more is at stake.
On a pain scale those leg cramps were probably a one out of ten, but they caused me more anguish than the seven out of ten pain that would sometimes bring me to tears. The reason was because the higher pain could be treated, but the only treatment for the anguish I was experiencing in my legs was to walk. Every day at physical therapy, I was so excited just to walk. At that time I was very unsteady and dealing with a lot of different issues.
Eventually, I had a nurse, Anyssa, who spent about thirty minutes of her time during a twelve-hour shift walking with me. I know how busy nurses are, and this was not something she had to do. It was not a vital task, and I felt extremely guilty for taking up her time. She talked with me while we walked and shared a story about how she had experienced restless leg syndrome during a long flight and had to walk up and down the airplane aisles.
The way she talked with me completely changed how I felt. I went from feeling guilty for wanting to walk to feeling like she genuinely wanted me to ask. She made it feel like helping me was important to her and that she cared deeply, not just about me but about her patients in general. It almost felt like she would have felt worse if I hadn't asked for help.
Not only was I in pain and unable to fix it on my own, but I also felt like a burden before she stepped in. The fact that she took time out of her very busy day to relieve my anguish, and did so in such a human and kind way, meant everything to me. After walking with her, my mental health improved significantly.
I was really struggling with the idea of spending New Year’s Eve in the hospital, but after that interaction I felt noticeably better. I was more willing to stay in the hospital longer to make sure I was safe. What she did had a huge impact on my hospital stay, and it came from something that may seem small on the surface.
If Anyssa can make this much of a difference in my life through something like this, I can only imagine how incredible she is in situations where even more is at stake.
Thank you, Anyssa, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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