Anna made a meaningful impact on my father's care, and I wanted to point out some of the things that occurred during my father's ER visit. 

My father was brought into the ER because he was having sudden difficulty standing and finding his words. The ER was, of course, busy, and the staff were busy with multiple patients. Anna was in and out of his room to provide care and give information. Every time, she was patient and kind to my father. He was confused and couldn't find his words to answer questions, and she took the time to explain everything to him and had to repeat herself many times. She never showed any frustration or urgency while doing this. She was gentle and calm during every interaction between him and me. My father has had declining health and has not been keeping up with his personal hygiene. She could tell I was a little embarrassed by his condition upon arrival, and she showed complete understanding and tenderness. 

Anna took it upon herself to bathe my father and wash his feet. As a nurse and knowing how busy she was, I know she really didn't have extra time to do this, but she said she "wanted to do it for him". 

After some testing, it was determined that my father needed to be transferred to Munster Community Hospital to be treated by an interventional neurologist, and Franciscan did not offer that level of care and intervention. Once they had diagnosed the severity of my father's condition, things moved rather quickly, as they were taking him straight to the Cath Lab for an emergent procedure when they arrived. Anna made sure that while giving report to the receiving hospital that she also got information for me to know where to go when I got there. She had a phone number and specific instructions written down for me to take. After EMS left with my father, I was a bit emotional gathering all of our things, and she gave me a big hug. This act of kindness helped calm me down, and she made sure I was okay to drive in the middle of the night to Munster Community Hospital alone.

Anna was doing her job as an RN, but it was the above and beyond compassion, patience and kindness that stood out for me. She was truly a part of saving my father's life that morning, and my family and I wanted to make sure she was recognized for it. Thank you, Anna, for your tenderness, compassion, patience and excellent patient care.