Carrie, from the moment I met her, was spot on. My very young 38-year-old husband had just gone through a majorly invasive surgery with the best surgeon, Dr. Y, for a very rare form of cancer. As you can imagine, my horror with my husband being intubated overnight really upset and concerned me. Exhausted from the day before, I was concerned about an incident with my husband; upon calling her, Carrie came in during shift change, swooped in, and immediately jumped into action when I needed her. I felt this was urgent, and she did, too. Being another medical professional who works in a clinical setting, I was nervous about who my husband would have as his nurse in the ICU and what type of experience he would have. Carrie immediately put my mind at ease and truly made me feel better about the already hard situation, not just the cancer but the intubation.

Carrie's devotion to her patients and my husband was above and beyond what I could ever hope or pray for. She made sure my husband's needs were being met, however she also made sure I was seen and heard. With her understanding of this already critical situation of his rare cancer, and then seeing the genuine concern on her face and the conversations we had as well was something I have not experienced this level of empathy or compassion from any of the previous stays in the hospital. Carrie helped comfort me, even though no one on this earth could ever change our very unique situation because we are so young and in our 30s. It can be heartbreaking, but in these moments when I needed hope the most, Carrie reminded me of how strong my husband truly is. This gave me the courage to have to break some news to my husband, although anticipated, not exactly ready to have at the moment, a few moments after he was extubated.

The moment any doctor walked in, she was right there at the bedside, ready for any orders. Carrie truly puts the meaning of Nurse and what I feel all nurses truly should be. We all know that the pandemic left a lot of nurses in burnout; however, Carrie has not let this interfere with her abilities for compassion, empathy, and genuine care for all of her patients. Carrie should be celebrated and thanked for going above and beyond the call of duty, more than her job title could ever describe her duties. Carrie is a true asset to this Hospital's ICU, so much so that she has set the standard high. I know I will never forget Carrie, and she was a true blessing to us during one of the hardest moments of our lives. I know my husband, and I will never forget her or our experience with her.