I have been a patient of Mayo Clinic Phoenix for well over a year, where I was diagnosed with SMA Syndrome along with some form of colitis, gastroparesis, malnutrition, Hx of pancreatitis, etc. I come to the AIC twice a week for hydration infusions due to chronic diarrhea, which can cause and has caused massive dehydration.

I started to tell Lacy about my  issues, and she asked me very specific questions, indicating genuine interest and a good amount of knowledge regarding this topic. She displayed empathy like nothing I've ever felt before. I feel heard, finally. She offered some great ideas to expand my general knowledge of what could cause diarrhea so frequently. She did this because she took the time to read through my chart to understand what was being done to address this huge need.

She spoke positively about all of the providers she is currently seeing. She had just such warmth and the most sincere goal of making me feel like a normal human being, not just a patient who is ill. She offers extremely helpful organizations that may research many of my diagnoses and potential clinical trials, and she is an outstanding listener with such pureness that made me feel heard, seen, and alive. This interaction with Lacy took my mood from feeling a bit hopeless, since I've been suffering for over a year and a half, to feeling full of hope and promise that I do matter and that I will get better.

She is supreme and wonderful at the duties she performs (e.g., inserting IVs, retrieving needed supplies, etc.), but she is so much more than just a nurse doing what's needed. She's a nurse whom I consider my friend and feel so lucky to even be in her presence.