Maira Zuniga Chavez, RN

My stepdad, who has dementia and Alzheimer's, suffered a compression fracture in the L1 vertebrae. It took 3 emergency trips to finally diagnose this fracture, and countless horrible experiences with doctors dismissing us and telling us he'd be in chronic pain the rest of his life, which wouldn't be a long life due to his diagnosis of dementia. On the day of surgery, my step-dad had been in horrible pain for 4 weeks, lost 30 lbs in 4 weeks, and was having hallucinations. Following his surgery, he was having a hard time coming out of anesthesia. Maira listened to our story and the fact we had been denied help for weeks. She was the FIRST health care professional to tell us she wanted to help us get overnight care and skilled nursing. Even though the surgeon did not agree with her suggestion of admitting him to a facility, Maira persisted because she knew it was best for him and our family. Maira was kind, compassionate, and what healthcare professionals SHOULD be. We cried when they told us they had found a place to admit him to receive assistance in healing. She was truly living by her oath of doing no harm. We cannot thank her enough for all she did and making his care possible. It is disheartening to be dismissed due to his age and dementia diagnosis, and she finally saw him. The compassion she showed will never ever be forgotten.