I was diagnosed with severe heart failure, and when I got admitted, there was no chance of my going back home. I had to live in the hospital and wait for my transplant there. I was in the CT ICU for almost 2 months with the most unbearable pain, and to top it off, I was bed-bound. When I met Anna, it was the Fourth of July. She greeted me with so much kindness and made me laugh. I was alone in my room, and since she works night shifts, she saw how lonely and dark my room was because of my depression, so she walked over to the window and opened it up. She wanted me to see fireworks. Although my window was next to a building, I barely had a view, but I managed to see one firework thanks to her. We celebrated that one firework I got to see from my bed.

She made me smile. It was so easy to talk to her, we talked as if we knew each other. We had talked about our favorite foods and how I missed eating my favorite meals. I mentioned shrimp Alfredo and the next day I was eating shrimp Alfredo. She satisfied my cravings and I was not expecting anything. It was a surprise, and it made my day. She’s so kind and so selfless. She made sure I got to eat my cravings, and that moment I will never forget, not to mention the care she gave to me while I was bed-bound in the ICU.

I felt safe, I felt protected, and she eased my mind. She was so gentle, and you could tell that anything she did came from her heart. Everything she did was done with so much love and care. After I left ICU and moved to CV acute, there would be some days when she would go and visit me. Either before she entered her shift or before she went home. She made time for me despite all of her responsibilities, just to see how I’m doing. I will never forget her visits. And if I were asleep, she’d leave a note on my whiteboard. I would wake up and see a smile that would never leave my face. She was there for me when I had no one. She was there for me while I went through the most traumatic experiences of my life. I will never forget her. She is extraordinary.