My husband is 80; however, a very active 80-year-old. Prior to his stroke, he spent at least 9 hours a day outside. He mowed, edged, trimmed, scrubbed, painted, pressure washed, built bird houses and platform feeders, and much, much more. Saying he loves the outdoors is an understatement.

This suddenly came to a halt when he suffered a stroke while trimming scrubs. From our rural hospital, he was sent by Life Flight to TMH. After several days in the ICU, we chose Encompass Health for Rehab. We never had a bad nurse; however, one superceded all expectations. That nurse was Felisa.

After his stroke, my husband's physical body no longer functioned properly; his mental and emotional status was hitting rock bottom. He struggled with fear and confinement. Shortly after his admission on a specific day, he was pleading with me to take him outside. Felisa overheard our conversation and rallied to the cause. She came in, put him in a wheelchair, and they went outside. No medication did what the trip outside did!

Secondly, he had orders for restless leg syndrome medication with shift change at 7, and in other situations that medicine was usually given late in the evening, not giving him the relief he needed at bedtime. Felisa became aware of this, and when she was on duty, she always made sure to give him this medication before leaving at 7 at the end of her shift. She was the only nurse that did this. We found her medical knowledge to supersede that of most nurses. She never said, "I do not know". She searched for answers we needed and took time to explain everything. The only thing that would make our relationship with her better would be to take her back with us to our hometown!