I am beyond honoured to nominate Tshidi for this award. When I first got admitted to Heather ward last year in May, I was in a very bad place. I couldn’t see a way out, and I thought life was no longer worth living, and I hated the world, and I no longer wanted to live, until I met Tshidi, who was not only my named nurse but my biggest cheerleader, who quite literally saved my life and showed me all the reasons as to why life was worth living. Tshidi is a one in a million; she showed me love, comfort, happiness, and she gave me a safe place to run to when the world got a little too much and a little too loud. Early on in my admission, I begged and begged her to give up on me, but she didn’t, she didn’t give up on me and she didn’t leave, in fact she stayed and was the light in my darkness and she got me through to the other side and thanks to her I MADE IT OUT ALIVE after 1 whole year of being in hospital. She didn’t judge me, she didn’t dismiss me, she didn’t tell me I was being dramatic, she made me feel wanted, she made me feel heard, she made me feel happy, she helped me to start fall back in love with the world again and life itself, she made me feel safe. On a bad day where communication felt impossible, she’d know what to do and how to help without me having to say anything; she would know when I was happy and when I was sad, but either way, she was there.

All the staff on Heather ward are wonderfully amazing and all of them have had their own special parts to play in my journey to recovery and the reason I’m alive, and I could never thank them enough, but Tshidi was different, she was special, and everyone on the ward adores her, staff and patients. She’s hardworking, supportive, comforting, understanding, she’s patient, she’s caring, she’s funny, and very dramatic, but goes above and beyond for anyone and everyone because she certainly did that for me. In unfortunate circumstances, Tshidi has given me some memorable moments during my stay on Heather ward. She did everything she could to keep me from falling, and even when I learnt to stand up on my own, she was still there standing with me. I had a strong attachment to Tshidi, which everyone could see because she showed me something I hadn't felt in a while, and I clung to her for it because I’d forgotten what it felt like to feel safe, and she reminded me of what that felt like.

She healed a heart she never even broken, and she helped me gain confidence, something I really struggled with, and if it wasn’t for her, I don’t know where I would be and I couldn’t be more thankful even if I tried to be because there are no amount of ways I could thank her for everything she has done for me. Tshidi, never change the person you are or the nurse that you are because you are beyond incredible, and in the unfortunate circumstance, I feel like the luckiest girl to have met someone as amazing, funny, kind, caring, smart, and loving as you.