This note is one of deep gratitude to you for what you did for my husband and me a year ago in May. Words cannot begin to describe how much your actions and care meant to us as we struggled in those first days after his triple bypass heart surgery.

Prior to you coming on to the nightshift on the second night of recovery, it felt as if we had been left in the dark pit with nobody to light the way out. My husband had a rough time as he kept stopping breathing and had codes called multiple times the day after his surgery. You came on shift after his third episode. He had been left after the third time alone with just me for the next four hours, sitting in a chair because none of the staff would get him back into his bed, as every time he was moved, he would stop breathing. It was terrifying for us.

He was very sick and cold. I thought that he was not going to make it out of the hospital. The other staff would not come in to change his bloodied sheets or even look at us as they passed by his door, many times. Nobody explained to us what was happening, and I could see my husband getting weaker. I remember looking up while holding his hand as you came into our room. You walked straight up to me with confidence, and as I rose to meet you, you extended both of your hands and placed them on either side of my face, and you looked me in the eye and told me that my husband was going to be alright. You held my gaze for a few seconds, and then you started to help my husband.

You made his bed with fresh, clean sheets and blankets, then you instructed two more nurses to help you get him back in bed. You told him kindly and told him everything that he should not stop breathing. You told him to keep his head level and not hold his breath because of his extreme pain. As you lifted him into a standing position, you again reminded him of what he should be doing every step of the way until he was back in his bed. It was to be the first time since his surgery that anyone was able to move or shift him without him stopping breathing.

You were kind to us, and you were confident and obviously had experience in working with bypass heart patients. I have thought of you repeatedly over this past year. My husband and I are strong people, but no amount of strength can help when one of us is that sick and the other has no medical knowledge to save them. You came on the night shift for the next few nights, and you were always top-notch in your work; furthermore, you were able to be kind at the same time. None of the other staff outside of the surgeon came close to the level of care you provided.

This hospital is elevated because of you and the work you do. We will never forget you. I will never forget you. You were like an angel, turning on the light and showing us that we indeed had a way out. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.