I was in the ED last night with my partner, who was seeking care for an acute issue that has been a medical nightmare for our family for 6 weeks now. We've been to several hospital EDs and doctors and met with a uniform disinterest and lack of empathy.

However, we were very lucky that nurse Boggs was tasked with providing us with discharge paperwork. Nurse Boggs responded expertly and kindly to seeing a patient in distress when my partner was having a panic attack. She could have just handed us the paperwork and left, but instead, she spent several minutes with us and talked to my partner like a real human being. She asked about not just what treatments were being used, but also how my partner was experiencing them. She didn't provide any new prescriptions or big answers, but she was able to offer advice on phasing out an unhelpful treatment and new tactics and perspectives for keeping my partner comfortable. She also provided some new questions for us to follow up with a PCP, which we are doing now.

Most importantly, Nikki showed me and my partner a level of empathy, humanity, and curiosity that we haven't been shown by any medical professional in months, and she made a huge difference in our ability to stay positive about this ongoing trauma. She showed she cared when no one else did.