Ayleah was my brother's nurse after he had an ICH s/p left decompressive craniectomy.

She remained very professional and reassuring during his whole stay in the ICU. She reminded us multiple times that he was in good hands and that we also needed to take care of ourselves.

When things got scary, she always explained things thoroughly and in a way that was easy for us to understand when big medical terms sounded frightening.

When my brother woke up, he was very scared and kept saying he was going to die. (This all happened before my wedding.) She kept reminding him that he was okay and that he was not going to die. She even joked with him that he was “offending” her by saying that because she was a good nurse.

This would make him giggle and calm down, which also helped us calm down because hearing him speak that way was frightening for us as well. She always made sure my brother was comfortable and always took the extra step of making sure we were comfortable as well during such a scary situation.

We had never been in a situation where one of our family members had become so sick, so it was extremely scary for us. She gave us so much comfort and peace, knowing he was in great hands. She was his night nurse during that time.

When my brother's daughter came to visit, she made sure the environment wasn't scary and ensured my brother was “presentable” to see his 7-year-old daughter so she wouldn't become frightened. She reminded my brother to remain calm and not show too much emotion, and she remained by his side (just in case).

From such a scary, traumatic experience, she was the light we needed to remember that things were going to be okay.

She never sugar-coated things for my brother and reminded him of the importance of taking care of his health and giving his best for his kids and himself—that he couldn't let his health get to this point again.

We will forever remember Ayleah as such an amazing nurse.