Gillian Ruiz
May 2026
Gillian
Ruiz
,
RN
Covenant Health
Lubbock
,
TX
United States
Gill doesn’t just take care of patients… she truly knows people. She sees them, remembers them, and loves them where they are.
Gill lives our values not just through her work, but through her heart. In the span of a single week, she showed what it truly means to care for people in their most vulnerable moments.
When a family lost someone they loved, they were already drowning in grief when they realized his cane — something deeply meaningful to them — was missing. That cane wasn’t just an object; it was something they longed to hold, a small piece of him they could still touch in the middle of unimaginable loss.
After they had tried calling multiple units without any luck finding the cane, Gill stepped in. She searched our unit, called the previous unit, and when it still wasn’t found, she did not give up. She walked through the hospital herself, determined to bring comfort to a heartbroken family.
When she finally found the cane and returned it to them, she gave them something priceless — a fragment of peace in the middle of great sorrow. Gill understood that in moments of loss, these “small” things are never small at all.
The very next day, Gill cared for a patient who knew her time on this earth was coming to an end. The patient shared how heartbroken she was knowing she wouldn’t be with her two chihuahuas when she passed. Those dogs were her family, her comfort, her normal.
Wanting to ease that pain, Gill quietly went to the gift shop and found two stuffed animals that reminded her of those dogs. She gently placed them beside the patient, offering her something familiar, something loving, something that said you are not alone. Almost immediately after, the patient took her final breaths. In that sacred moment, Gill’s simple act of compassion gave that patient the peace she needed to let go.
The very next day Gill cared for a fellow nurse who had been admitted with severe pain. Unable to leave the unit herself, Gill still found a way to show care. She called her sister and asked her to go pick out flowers — not just any flowers, but flowers arranged in a vase in the nurse’s favorite color.
Because Gill doesn’t just take care of patients… she truly knows people. She sees them, remembers them, and loves them where they are.
Three separate times in one week, Gill made someone feel deeply loved when they needed it most. She reminded families that their grief mattered, patients that they were not alone, and coworkers that they were seen and cherished.
Gill practices nursing as a calling — serving as God’s hands and feet, offering comfort, dignity, and love when it matters most. She is the kind of nurse who changes lives, not with grand gestures, but with intentional, selfless acts of compassion that stay with people forever.
When a family lost someone they loved, they were already drowning in grief when they realized his cane — something deeply meaningful to them — was missing. That cane wasn’t just an object; it was something they longed to hold, a small piece of him they could still touch in the middle of unimaginable loss.
After they had tried calling multiple units without any luck finding the cane, Gill stepped in. She searched our unit, called the previous unit, and when it still wasn’t found, she did not give up. She walked through the hospital herself, determined to bring comfort to a heartbroken family.
When she finally found the cane and returned it to them, she gave them something priceless — a fragment of peace in the middle of great sorrow. Gill understood that in moments of loss, these “small” things are never small at all.
The very next day, Gill cared for a patient who knew her time on this earth was coming to an end. The patient shared how heartbroken she was knowing she wouldn’t be with her two chihuahuas when she passed. Those dogs were her family, her comfort, her normal.
Wanting to ease that pain, Gill quietly went to the gift shop and found two stuffed animals that reminded her of those dogs. She gently placed them beside the patient, offering her something familiar, something loving, something that said you are not alone. Almost immediately after, the patient took her final breaths. In that sacred moment, Gill’s simple act of compassion gave that patient the peace she needed to let go.
The very next day Gill cared for a fellow nurse who had been admitted with severe pain. Unable to leave the unit herself, Gill still found a way to show care. She called her sister and asked her to go pick out flowers — not just any flowers, but flowers arranged in a vase in the nurse’s favorite color.
Because Gill doesn’t just take care of patients… she truly knows people. She sees them, remembers them, and loves them where they are.
Three separate times in one week, Gill made someone feel deeply loved when they needed it most. She reminded families that their grief mattered, patients that they were not alone, and coworkers that they were seen and cherished.
Gill practices nursing as a calling — serving as God’s hands and feet, offering comfort, dignity, and love when it matters most. She is the kind of nurse who changes lives, not with grand gestures, but with intentional, selfless acts of compassion that stay with people forever.