My mom was med-flighted to the University of Iowa MICU on a Friday afternoon/evening with severe septic shock with multisystem organ failure. My mom was a patient here for 9 days before she passed away. She was young and healthy otherwise, so this was a fast, scary experience. Crystal was my mom's nurse most of the days she was there. Crystal even picked up extra shifts, knowing my mom would be her patient. Crystal was kind, gentle, and so very compassionate to my family. She ALWAYS took the time to explain things to us in an easy-to-understand manner. She always asked what questions we had and explained things to all of our family over and over again. I am an oncology nurse, and she took the time to go through everything and explain it to me medically. I know that I asked her a million and one questions, and she always took the time to talk to me. If she didn't know the answer to a question, she found the answer. One day, when she wasn't my mom's nurse, she still came in on her break time to check on her and ended up cleaning her up and making sure she was comfortable, which really meant a lot to my dad. The biggest thing that stood out to me was that she took care of my mom as a person. She asked what kind of music she liked, she always said her name, and told her what she was doing despite my mom being sedated for most of her stay. My family and I truly felt comforted knowing that someone like Crystal was taking care of our precious mom. This was such a fast and traumatic experience for us, and she made it easier to handle. I can't thank her enough for her care of my mom and family. I strive to be as compassionate a nurse as she is. Thank you, Crystal.