Eddy Baek
May 2026
Eddy
Baek
,
RN
Stanford Health Care
Palo Alto
,
CA
United States
He consistently delivered care with loving-kindness, met basic human needs with dignity, and created a caring environment that supports healing.
I am writing this with deep gratitude to recognize Eddy Baek, because his exceptional nursing care has touched our family in ways we will never forget.
I took my dad to the ED because he was not feeling well and had trouble breathing. Little did we know at the time that his lung disease had progressed to the point where he could no longer breathe normally on his own. We were told that the only option for him was receiving a lung transplant. Prior to this, my dad never really got sick and was never hospitalized, so it was quite a shock and emotional for my whole family.
He ended up being transferred to Stanford prior to his transplant and then, very fortunately, ended up receiving a lung transplant shortly after. He continued to stay on the unit for about a month, during which Eddy provided extraordinary nursing care.
He consistently delivered care with loving-kindness, met basic human needs with dignity, and created a caring environment that supports healing. I believe that delivering care with loving-kindness is equivalent to treating a patient like family, and Eddy truly treats my dad like family.
A simple example of how he demonstrated this care was by turning on Korean TV shows for my dad to watch. While it may seem like a small gesture, it was deeply meaningful and something I truly appreciated, as watching Korean TV shows was one of the things my dad loved to do outside of the hospital. The extra effort Eddy took to find programming in my dad’s native language made it clear that he recognized my dad was not just a patient but a whole person with a life, culture, and interests beyond his illness.
What made us feel most like family was that on his discharge day at Stanford, Eddy went out of his way and came in on his day off to say goodbye and good luck to my dad.
As a nurse, Eddy also consistently helped my dad meet basic human needs with dignity. My dad had a tracheostomy during his stay and was unable to talk for most of his hospitalization. Because of the tracheostomy, some people tend to forget that my dad is alert and oftentimes won’t be the first to talk and engage in conversation. However, Eddy has always talked to my dad in a normal manner. Including making personable comments on how he shaved or how much better he looks. He always kept my dad updated and explained everything that was going on without being asked first. He would also often help with Korean interpretation, even when he was busy with his own patients.
Furthermore, he always found time to make it a priority for my dad to sit in the chair. Even when it was at inconvenient times close to shift change, Eddy would happily help my dad up to the chair. This was important in helping my dad not only get physically stronger, but also in promoting dignity from lying in bed the whole day.
Eddy also has a talent for creating a healing environment. Even when he is not my dad’s assigned nurse, he always finds time to stop by and check on him. Those brief moments—asking how he’s doing, straightening the room, offering quiet reassurance—mean more than he probably realizes.
He also provides just the right amount of encouragement to promote healing. There were some days when my dad felt tired and declined to sit in the chair or walk. But Eddy manages to find compromises that help encourage activity without pushing too hard. I believe that he made an impact in helping my dad get stronger and heal quicker, to ultimately get discharged quicker as well.
I took my dad to the ED because he was not feeling well and had trouble breathing. Little did we know at the time that his lung disease had progressed to the point where he could no longer breathe normally on his own. We were told that the only option for him was receiving a lung transplant. Prior to this, my dad never really got sick and was never hospitalized, so it was quite a shock and emotional for my whole family.
He ended up being transferred to Stanford prior to his transplant and then, very fortunately, ended up receiving a lung transplant shortly after. He continued to stay on the unit for about a month, during which Eddy provided extraordinary nursing care.
He consistently delivered care with loving-kindness, met basic human needs with dignity, and created a caring environment that supports healing. I believe that delivering care with loving-kindness is equivalent to treating a patient like family, and Eddy truly treats my dad like family.
A simple example of how he demonstrated this care was by turning on Korean TV shows for my dad to watch. While it may seem like a small gesture, it was deeply meaningful and something I truly appreciated, as watching Korean TV shows was one of the things my dad loved to do outside of the hospital. The extra effort Eddy took to find programming in my dad’s native language made it clear that he recognized my dad was not just a patient but a whole person with a life, culture, and interests beyond his illness.
What made us feel most like family was that on his discharge day at Stanford, Eddy went out of his way and came in on his day off to say goodbye and good luck to my dad.
As a nurse, Eddy also consistently helped my dad meet basic human needs with dignity. My dad had a tracheostomy during his stay and was unable to talk for most of his hospitalization. Because of the tracheostomy, some people tend to forget that my dad is alert and oftentimes won’t be the first to talk and engage in conversation. However, Eddy has always talked to my dad in a normal manner. Including making personable comments on how he shaved or how much better he looks. He always kept my dad updated and explained everything that was going on without being asked first. He would also often help with Korean interpretation, even when he was busy with his own patients.
Furthermore, he always found time to make it a priority for my dad to sit in the chair. Even when it was at inconvenient times close to shift change, Eddy would happily help my dad up to the chair. This was important in helping my dad not only get physically stronger, but also in promoting dignity from lying in bed the whole day.
Eddy also has a talent for creating a healing environment. Even when he is not my dad’s assigned nurse, he always finds time to stop by and check on him. Those brief moments—asking how he’s doing, straightening the room, offering quiet reassurance—mean more than he probably realizes.
He also provides just the right amount of encouragement to promote healing. There were some days when my dad felt tired and declined to sit in the chair or walk. But Eddy manages to find compromises that help encourage activity without pushing too hard. I believe that he made an impact in helping my dad get stronger and heal quicker, to ultimately get discharged quicker as well.