You never know when life will throw you a curveball that you have no idea how to hit. My aunt was taken by squad to Aultman Hospital. By the time she was brought in, she had suffered a lack of oxygen to the brain for roughly 35 minutes. Late at night, around 2 AM, she finally got settled into the MICU. She was placed under heavy sedation to keep her unconscious due to seizures. The main nurse that we worked with was Tyler. His shift was from 3 AM to 3 PM. He was the godsend that we needed in that moment and time. He was patient, understanding, caring, compassionate, and very informative.

With my aunt being sedated, he was still so caring and gentle with her. He spoke to her and explained what he was doing at each step to her and us; he made sure she was comfortable and well cared for. Hours turned into days and days turned into a week. Every step of the way, all the nurses and staff were fantastic, but Tyler was by far our favorite. During the days that passed, he became like part of our family as we never left my aunt's side. He also made time for us, answered all the questions we may have had, explained everything in detail to us, provided us with his honest feelings and opinions, and he was just always there for us.

When the time came for the decision to be made, to have my aunt removed from the ventilator and all medications, he was right there for that decision to support us. When the day came, it was late afternoon after his shift had ended. The nurse who replaced him let me know that he wanted to work a 16-hour shift, just so he could be with us at that moment when everything was stopped. I am thankful he wanted to give us that support and to disrupt his life, just to be there. However, I am also glad he didn't. He worked so hard for us and his other patients, and I know he needed rest after a long night.

After life support was discontinued, my aunt chose to hang on for a bit longer. The nurse and I joked that she was just waiting for Tyler. Her seizures and body twitching were never as bad when Tyler was on duty, so we always knew it meant she liked him. Even if she was unconscious and had severe brain damage. When Tyler came in that night, he came straight to our room before his shift technically started, just to check on my aunt and me. When he could, he would come back in and just talk with me and keep me company during the hardest thing anyone should ever do, which was watching and waiting for their loved one to pass away. During everything, Tyler was right there, and we could never thank him or the M-ICU staff enough.

Tyler went out of his way to provide us with teddy bears with my aunt's heartbeat in them, printouts of her heartbeat to place in small glass vials, a special printout of her heartbeat for me to get a tattoo, and thumbprint key chains. These small acts by him made all the difference for us. He took one of our most trying and difficult times and turned it into an experience we will never forget. His kindness towards my aunt and us will never fade from our thoughts or feelings. He chose to be amazing at his job, and you can tell that he truly does care for his patients, their families, and his other coworkers.

My last thought on this submission for Tyler: After a full week of being by my aunt's side and waiting for her to pass, Tyler let me know that she may just be waiting for family to leave and shared a personal story about his grandparent who passed away. So, I chose to leave the hospital for a few hours. Within three hours, he called us to let us know she had passed, but he was there by her side when it happened. Knowing he was there with her in the end provided my family and me with comfort. Those three hours that we were gone were the longest she had been left alone the entire time. There are never and will never be enough words to express my thanks and gratitude towards Tyler and the entire MICU staff. Tyler provided us with comfort and care that will never be matched.