A few days before arriving at Ascension Saint Thomas, I had been discharged from another hospital with a bowel blockage and was essentially told to "tough it out" at home. Two days later, still in serious pain, I refused to return by ambulance to that other hospital. Instead, my wife and I made the difficult decision to drive ourselves over an hour away to Saint Thomas Midtown — and thank God we did. From the moment I arrived, the ER staff at Saint Thomas was fantastic — thorough, professional, and truly compassionate. But I want to single out one person who went far beyond the call of duty: Dawn, my night nurse.

Dawn cared for me during some of my darkest hours. I had gone through multiple tests and procedures, but as night fell, I was left without any updates or answers. I had been anxiously waiting for results all day and couldn't sleep, growing more upset as the hours passed. At 4 a.m., emotionally and physically drained, I met Dawn. She immediately showed compassion, empathy, and a sense of humor that helped cut through the tension. But more than that, Dawn took action. She didn’t just offer kind words — she started digging. Right there in my room, she went through doctors' notes and uncovered updates that had never been communicated to me. She discovered that the radiologist had even left for the day without reading my X-ray, which had been delayed from its scheduled time at 12 p.m. until 6 p.m. I had gone all night with no information, no nourishment (less than 900 calories over 10 days), and no actual drink of water for 7 of those days.

Dawn's ability to calmly and clearly explain what had happened — and what hadn't — gave me a sense of control again. Her care helped me collect myself emotionally so I could rest before the doctors came by at 6 a.m. Her presence that night made all the difference.

Dawn, you are a light in the darkness. Your compassion, intuition, and commitment to your patients truly saved me. I firmly believe God put you in this profession for a reason — you help people in ways that go beyond medicine. Bless you, and thank you from the bottom of my heart.