Joy embodies the heart and soul of what a nurse is because it comes from her heart. While her knowledge on nursing skills is definitely very sharp, it is her heart that really shines and proves that her name truly fits her.

... a patient that was in our unit that was literally going back home to her country to die, and Joy would go into their room as much as she needed. When it came time for them to leave, she even packed up all of their things and went over the last minute details of care that they needed before discharge. By chance, she even asked a doctor for advice for the particular patient, and it just so happened that doctor was going to be on that exact same flight, so she became a liaison for them so that when they took off, the family and the doctor became acquainted and he was able to check on them throughout the long flight back to Africa.

There was another instance where we had a wedding on our unit because the bride's mother was on her deathbed and Joy once again went above and beyond for the family. This was around the time that we were working on a project for the unit and she even asked if the family would like one last photo as a family since we had a photographer on site and because she could see how important family was to them.

I have seen Joy run to translate all over the hospital when she is needed; I have even seen her check on a family that she translated for after discharge just to make sure that they were okay. Not only is she a great charge nurse, she is a comedian, a great teacher to her staff and to the budding nursing students that walk onto our unit, and a shining light to anybody that meets her.