We initially brought our stepmom in from Alma, where she was diagnosed with a hemorrhagic stroke. She had an emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on her brain and had three drain tubes put in. When my sister and I walked in after driving to get to the hospital early the morning of surgery, my dad and my stepmom's sisters were there. We were clueless about what had gone on so far, as my dad wasn't very talkative and wanted to just hold my stepmom's hand.

Terry (we later as a family agreed to the nickname Terry the Terrific) came in and saw us, introduced himself to us, and asked our names. He was very informative and conducted the discussion in a language appropriate for non-clinical individuals. Knowing something of healthcare administration, I was greatly impressed with how warm and caring Terry was. The crew that assisted always made a point to talk to my stepmom eye-to-eye if she was open-eyed and tell her what to expect, and also what would be happening. I never thought I would hear "We're going to get your chest hooked up for monitoring so I might have to move your right boob to the side. Promise it's just to get the device hooked up, and we will cover you back up."

Every single occasion was a communication and open to answering dumb questions. When I asked Terry if there was an issue if we played music that our stepmom liked (trust me, that playlist is 17+hours long but lots of 80s rock and 90s country), he said "As long as it helps her relax, and doesn't get too loud, you play whatever works!" While we didn't get to see Terry for three of the 12 days we were in the ICU, we always went home and mentioned how impressed we were with the genuine care and effort he took to make things comfortable for her, as well as for us, the family, through this. Our stepmom didn't make it, but I'm sure that if she had a chance to rate Terry the Terrific, he would be a DAISY level recipient. Thank you, Terry, for taking such good care of our mama and our family. It is so appreciated.