When I heard my sister was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, I could not have been more terrified. The recommended treatment for her condition was a tandem stem cell transplant. The little bit I knew about this deadly disease is that she would have a compromised immune system so she had to be very careful about her exposure to people and what she ate as well as a very long list of other things.

We could not have been luckier that Michele was in charge of the outpatient program at the John Theurer Cancer Center where my sister had both procedures. Prior to her treatment we had to attend a caregiver class to learn all about the procedure and how to manage life afterwards. Michele did the training for the class and we were both so impressed with her vast knowledge and commitment to the comfort of her patients. I said to my sister, "I hope she is your nurse when you have your transplant."

My wish came true and Michele was responsible for taking care of my sister.

The first day was overwhelming. My sister was handed an enormous plastic bag filled with medications. The expression, "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand this" was not the case. I do not remember exactly, but I am guessing there were at least six drugs that were prescribed just for nausea, and that is only one of the side effects. There are many other side effects as a result of the transplant. Michele took something that was very complicated and simplified it so even I understood how it worked. In addition, I mentined that I was very scared. She did not just brush me off by saying, "It will be OK." She went to great lengths to discuss/address my fears and made me feel so much better.

The bottom line that really made an impression on me is when Michele comes in to check on her patients she doesn't say, "How are you doing?" She says, " What can I get you?