June 2026 Honoree
Shannen Arboleda, BSN, RN
The day I met Shannen Arboleda, she was the charge nurse. She came in to introduce herself, and you could hear kindness in her tone. Well, one day I was having an issue with my nurse, and Shannon took care of things in a timely manner. Shannen went ahead and messaged the doctor for me. When I have had issues getting what I ordered for my meal, Shannen contacted someone from the kitchen and got things straight for me. She even told me one thing that almost put me in happy tears because I was so upset and stressed over a situation with my hospital med, and Shannen told me she was gonna do all she could to advocate for me. I have never had a nurse tell me that, so it really touched my heart.
Being medically complex, I'm in and out of the hospitals a lot. I really feel like Shannon cares about me. This is now day 4 with her, and I feel like she always has my back. One day I was in excruciating pain; my hospital med was supposed to change the frequency in the computer so I could go ahead and get something. Shannen contacted the doctor and kept on communicating until he changed it. Then, when my nurse told me I had to wait on the pharmacy to authorize it, and I tried waiting, I finally called and asked Shannen if she could please check with the pharmacy about authorizing it because I needed some relief.
When I'm very stressed, she will calmly talk to me and help me calm down because I do have Addison's disease, and I can not tolerate stress cause stress can be life-threatening for me. But she stayed with me and helped me calm down. She also validated my feelings; I feel heard when she is working. I have felt like she is there for me and will make sure I get properly taken care of every day, even yesterday when she had her own patients and wasn't a charge nurse. She really deserves this because of how she treats the patients and all, and she helps us feel a little better when we know that she is there for us. These are just a few key traits about her and how she acts. I could still go on and on about her.
Thank you for all you are doing for me, Shannen , and for having my back and helping me feel loved and cared about, and thank you for being my advocate when I'm vulnerable. It's so hard to be my own only advocate. I'm so thankful that I have an advocate in Shannen and that I met her.
Being medically complex, I'm in and out of the hospitals a lot. I really feel like Shannon cares about me. This is now day 4 with her, and I feel like she always has my back. One day I was in excruciating pain; my hospital med was supposed to change the frequency in the computer so I could go ahead and get something. Shannen contacted the doctor and kept on communicating until he changed it. Then, when my nurse told me I had to wait on the pharmacy to authorize it, and I tried waiting, I finally called and asked Shannen if she could please check with the pharmacy about authorizing it because I needed some relief.
When I'm very stressed, she will calmly talk to me and help me calm down because I do have Addison's disease, and I can not tolerate stress cause stress can be life-threatening for me. But she stayed with me and helped me calm down. She also validated my feelings; I feel heard when she is working. I have felt like she is there for me and will make sure I get properly taken care of every day, even yesterday when she had her own patients and wasn't a charge nurse. She really deserves this because of how she treats the patients and all, and she helps us feel a little better when we know that she is there for us. These are just a few key traits about her and how she acts. I could still go on and on about her.
Thank you for all you are doing for me, Shannen , and for having my back and helping me feel loved and cared about, and thank you for being my advocate when I'm vulnerable. It's so hard to be my own only advocate. I'm so thankful that I have an advocate in Shannen and that I met her.
Thank you, Shannen, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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