I'm in my 70s right now, 74 to be exact. This past Monday, I had a medical emergency that I thought might take my life. I was sitting at my desk when it occurred, and I thought I had a stroke. My wife took me to Shannon Hospital, and the great ER crew got right on me. It wasn't long before the Doc said they wanted to keep me for the night, though initial tests didn't reveal anything.

Even though the symptoms had diminished and disappeared, I thought of all kinds of things. And it was the first time I met Nurse Alejandra, who is also known as Ale.

The smile on her face and the sincerity in her eyes immediately helped calm the internal curiosity that had been worrying me. Her directions about the room and its accommodations were easy to understand and thorough, even when she asked me not to go to the bathroom without calling her first because of my earlier symptoms (I am very hard-headed).

I was in law enforcement for much of my life, and trust does not come easily, but with Ale, I came to an early belief that she was honest and truly had the patient's best interest at heart, something many might call true empathy. She knew how to operate all of the technical things that have advanced medical care since its beginning, at times asking questions about this or that and getting it right the first time.

But one of Ale's greatest characteristics is how she treats people, the patients, and those she works with. I could tell by the way she introduced the CNA, who also had a compassionate attitude, and another nurse who helped her check for sores. Ale had a way about her that could lead anyone to believe she was part of the team.

She is very much the type of person and the professional nurse that I like to know, who represents our Shannon Hospital in serving our local area and community. For those reasons, I am recommending Alejandra Hernandez for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.