Recently, my dad received a double lung transplant. Since he had such a big procedure done, it has required him to be at the hospital for weeks while he recovers. Over the last couple of weeks, we had probably between 40 and 50 nurses, and the one who stood out to me the most was Elli Hunt. Elli fills the role of nurse perfectly; not only does she know what she is doing as a nurse, but she is also one of the sweetest nurses and one of the sweetest people that I have ever met. To me, a huge attribute of being a nurse requires the need to be a very caring individual, and let me tell you, Elli is that very caring individual. Elli has a heart of gold, and her compassion shows through! Some ways her compassion has shone are through her taking the time to listen and understand how my dad is feeling, as well as how she can ensure that his recovery goes as quickly, comfortably, and smoothly as possible. Elli also ensured that our family had everything we needed while we were at the hospital. She has been a great source of upliftment to me throughout this long journey. Elli has done this by sharing how much she appreciates my family.

Another example is how she has shared hope with us. She did this by assuring us that a breakthrough was on the horizon, despite the discouraging times of recovery; it was just a matter of time. Another reason why Elli is my favorite nurse comes from how diligent and frequent she was at coming in to check on my dad. All the nurses were really nice, but it seemed like there were quite a few who didn’t check in as often. It meant a lot to me that Elli made it a priority to check on my dad frequently. We haven’t had Elli as our nurse in about a week now, but when I cross paths with her, she is always interested to see how my dad is doing. It is important to her to know how he is doing, and that means a great deal to me!