Geraldine is a Registered Nurse working as a patient advocate at Northern Arizona Healthcare. Recently, she learned of a fellow nurse who suffered a massive stroke, which has led to this nurse spending months in the hospital and now in a rehab facility. At the time of her stroke, she was alone at home with her dog for 7 days before being found by a family member. Her dog stayed by her side. Unfortunately, when taken to the hospital, law enforcement had to remove the dog and take it to a shelter.

When the nurse was rehabilitated enough to understand that her best canine (senior) friend was at a shelter and still not adopted, she put out a plea to the community, asking for someone to help her dog. Geraldine, who had recently lost her own dog, heard about this situation and took it upon herself to try to help. However, the dog had been fostered out the day before. Geraldine didn't give up in trying to locate where the dog had gone, so she could get updates on how the dog was doing, and after about a week of searching, was able to locate the dog, and went to visit the new owners, who allowed her to take the dog to the nursing home where the nurse is now staying, for a visit. It gave this nurse the motivation to continue to work toward her goals to continue to get better, back, as she was losing hope. That dog was her life and her family, and to be reunited with her canine companion brought her spirit back.

Now, the new owners, who live just a couple blocks from the nursing home where the nurse is at, can bring the dog by to visit, and the nurse has a new drive in her each day, knowing her dog is safe, can come by to see her, and is taken care of. All because Geraldine went above and beyond out of the kindness of her heart and in the true spirit of what the nursing community does. I sincerely think that without this amazing gift of service that she performed, the nurse who suffered this massive stroke would have given up and continued in a downward spiral of health. Geraldine brought sunshine and happiness back into an otherwise very sad situation. So proud of her!