Michelle Stannard
June 2025
Michelle
Stannard
,
RN
Recovery Room
HCA Houston Healthcare - Clear Lake
Webster
,
TX
United States
I apologized to Michelle 1,000 times over for having to take her time away from other things, but she reminded me that I was her "other thing". She chose her profession based on her care for people.
My knee replacement surgery was supposed to be a day surgery. The thought was that I would be in and out. However, due to incredible pain coming out of recovery, I stayed a little bit longer to wait for a different pain medication to take effect. Michelle was incredibly kind to me as I cried out of embarrassment, disappointment, and guilt. She reminded me that none of those things were my fault or about me. She reminded me to extend grace to myself. She reminded me she would be with me every step of the way and that I needed to not answer the way I thought she wanted me to answer with regards to my pain level, but to respond honestly so that she could give me the best care possible.
As minutes turned to hours, we found out through OT/PT that I would not be able to go home as planned. It took a couple of hours as we waited for the doctor's orders to put me in a room. Michelle was kind and relentless, knowing that I had been in recovery for hours and had spent the entire day at the hospital, thinking I would be going home. She treated me like a friend. She treated me like a patient. While I know there were 1 million other things she could've done, she chose to sit in the chair beside me, doing paperwork and still holding a conversation with me, making me feel calm and relaxed.
In recovery, it is necessary to be calm and relaxed. I apologized to Michelle 1,000 times over for having to take her time away from other things, but she reminded me that I was her "other thing". She chose her profession based on her care for people. We ended up sharing about our families and our love of books, and our own personal journeys to happiness, patience, and understanding. All the while, she was treating another gentleman next to me. I listened as she patiently tried to wake him. She patiently tried to rouse him, being gentle with him as she had been with me.
Michelle is new to the Clear Lake system, but I never would have guessed; her values and her morals were incredibly outstanding. Not once in the hours we waited together did she have anything negative to say about anyone she worked with or her job. It is evident that she loves what she does, and she should definitely be recognized for her heart of gold.
As minutes turned to hours, we found out through OT/PT that I would not be able to go home as planned. It took a couple of hours as we waited for the doctor's orders to put me in a room. Michelle was kind and relentless, knowing that I had been in recovery for hours and had spent the entire day at the hospital, thinking I would be going home. She treated me like a friend. She treated me like a patient. While I know there were 1 million other things she could've done, she chose to sit in the chair beside me, doing paperwork and still holding a conversation with me, making me feel calm and relaxed.
In recovery, it is necessary to be calm and relaxed. I apologized to Michelle 1,000 times over for having to take her time away from other things, but she reminded me that I was her "other thing". She chose her profession based on her care for people. We ended up sharing about our families and our love of books, and our own personal journeys to happiness, patience, and understanding. All the while, she was treating another gentleman next to me. I listened as she patiently tried to wake him. She patiently tried to rouse him, being gentle with him as she had been with me.
Michelle is new to the Clear Lake system, but I never would have guessed; her values and her morals were incredibly outstanding. Not once in the hours we waited together did she have anything negative to say about anyone she worked with or her job. It is evident that she loves what she does, and she should definitely be recognized for her heart of gold.