...Very recently my mother was a patient in the ICU and for several days during her stay, Calvin was assigned to her case. Calvin proved to be a most caring individual as well as skilled, efficient, and hardworking.

The situation with my mother was just awful. A fall the previous week had resulted initially in a broken wrist; but then complications set in. My family was unprepared for what was happening and what ultimately happened, my mother's passing. The whole episode was horrendous and will be long remembered by my entire family. Also to be remembered by my entire family will be Calvin.

Calvin helped us through his horrible ordeal by displaying true empathy, not just for my mother but for the obvious pain and helplessness the family was experiencing. We questioned Calvin tirelessly as we tried to understand the complicated indications, medication, trends and treatments that were evolving daily. Calvin never once failed to provide answers to the many questions. Often the answer was not what we necessarily wanted to hear and we, the family, discussed internally how well he managed to provide factual information without communicating either unrealistic optimism or the pessimism he must have felt at time due to his training and experience. Through to the end, Calvin maintained his professionalism, optimism and drive to do whatever was prescribed or required to give my mother one more chance for survival.

When the decision was finally made to end the suffering, Calvin was a party to the decision and did his utmost to ensure mom's dignity throughout. Calvin surely understood how emotional the decision was for the family and he performed his duties in a reverent and efficient manner that was once again noticed by the entire family. At the end, we all were comforted by Calvin's hugs and empathetic persona. We all feel blessed to have had Calvin by our side during this most trying of times. If anyone is deserving of recognition for "compassionate care", it is surely Calvin.