I was admitted to St Anthony Hospital with a serious case of sepsis stemming from a knee injury I got during a Spartan Race. I’m in my early 30s, relatively fit, and used to pushing through pain, but this was different. I had no idea how close to the edge I was.

Enter Brittney. From the second she walked into my room, she didn't just treat the patient - she saw the human. She balanced professionalism and empathy as if she’d been doing it her whole life. She cracked jokes when I needed a laugh and delivered hard truths when I needed clarity. She didn’t sugarcoat the reality of the situation, but somehow made it feel like I wasn’t alone in it.

I remember how scared I was - not just because of the pain, but because I had watched my grandmother die of septic shock just 8 months prior. That memory haunted me during my stay. She never knew that part, but what she did know was how to calm a nervous system on overdrive. She explained every IV, every drip, every step in treatment so that I could feel some control in a moment where I had none. She made me feel like I wasn’t just another patient on the board - I was someone worth showing up for.

That mattered more than I can explain. In a time when my faith in family was being tested, Brittney showed up like the kind of person you hope is there when everything starts to fall apart. People like her are the reason patients make it through the long nights. Her compassion, intelligence, and ability to bring humanity into the sterile hospital room changed the trajectory of my experience. She was a light in a very dark chapter.

This award is being presented to her, not just for being a great nurse, but for being a genuinely good human in a moment when I desperately needed one.