Michelle Wallner, BSN RN

Michelle, we knew when you walked into her room that we loved you.

She immediately introduced herself and wrote her name and her nursing assistant's name on the board. Who knew how important that small thing would make a patient feel. She was happy, warm, and had a genuine love for patient care.

My sister was on the cardiac floor of 6B at University of Minnesota MHealth Fairview, located at 500 Harvard Street in Minneapolis. She arrived in the ER as she was on her final leg of battling cancer after 15 years. My sister loved this hospital, as she was an employee. After over 24 hours in the ER, she was brought to 6B. Michelle, one of her nightly nurses, was one of her two favorites and quickly became ours too.

My sister had lymphedema from her cancer that caused her legs to turn black and hard like tree bark, as she would call it. They were sore, which made it hard for her to move her legs on her own, put any pressure on her leg, or even sit in a chair; she was bedbound. She also had an ostomy bag and two tubes coming out of her kidneys from her back. They were leaking a little in her back as they needed to be changed; however, she would not have been able to survive the procedure, so she had to live with it.

Michelle came in to provide new bed linens and to give my sister a bath. She was gentle, kind, and took the time to not only clean her legs, back, knees, and feet carefully and cautiously. She also took the time to massage her feet, ankles, and knees. She brought in some essential oils for achiness in hopes to offer her some relief from constant achiness. She was never rushed, and you would have thought my sister was her only patient, as she gave her undivided attention.

When Michelle was working, my sister felt safe, comfortable, and cared for. This made us feel okay with leaving her in her hands at night. Michelle offered good conversation while doing her patient care. Making my sister feel as comfortable as possible in a difficult time. Always at the end of her patient care, she would bring her a warm blanket, which would make my sister smile.

This kind of gentle heart and compassion in a human makes me write about her today.

Thank you, Michelle, for making some of my sister's final weeks less painful and a little less difficult. Your smile brightens the room, and your constant thoughtfulness on the patient's behalf makes a world of difference.

You have a gift that shines and the gentleness of an angel that makes a hospital visit a little more tolerable because of you! Know we are forever grateful, and you have a heavenly angel looking down on you today.