Kayla Gillette, RN

I was scheduled for a colonoscopy one morning. Being a person over 50, I knew that it was something I needed to do, but let's be real, who wants to. After a miserable prep day, I thought that I was ready for what was going to follow. I am going to give you a little backstory at this point. I had some unexplained weight loss and a lot of fatigue, and Dr. M was ordering a lot of routine but exploratory tests, so I knew they were looking for something.

I arrived at Minidoka Memorial Hospital that Monday morning. All of my nurses were very kind, but "my nurse" was Kayla Gillette. She was a calm, level personality who smiled easily and explained the procedure very thoroughly. I was feeling very calm about the procedure. I went in for the colonoscopy. When I woke up, there was "my nurse," Kayla, to greet me. She told me that the doctor would be right in to talk to me and that they were bringing my husband back to be with me. She also let me know that I was scheduled for an MRI that afternoon. I don't know a lot of medical things, but I do know that was not a very good indication of how things went. Kayla stuck by my side for the rest of the afternoon until we went for the MRI.

She held my hand and cried with me when the doctor told me that I had a mass growing out of my rectum. They were unable to do the procedure because of it. She was very attentive and concerned with my physical and mental state. We cried, we laughed to relieve the tension, and cried some more. I was so appreciative of her bedside manner and kindness on a day that was so life-changing to me. Her compassion for me, a stranger, will never be forgotten even though our interaction was only a few hours. I know that she must be a kind person in all aspects of her life by the way she treated me on one of my darkest days. I have a great appreciation for all nurses and the challenges they have but I will forever be grateful for "my nurse", Kayla Gillette.