This week I unexpectedly found myself in the ICU at Rancho Springs Medical Center with a bit of a health scare. Although it was a very trying few days, the nursing staff there were fantastic. Imran Abdalaziz was my daytime nurse while I was hospitalized in the ICU. His skills are second to none, but what struck me the most about Imran was his sincere compassion and caring! By day 3 of my stay, I was so incredibly anxious and depressed. At one point I pulled off all of my connections (heart monitor, IV, etc) and walked out of my room to the nurses’ station asking (through a lot of tears) if I could please “just go home.” Imran came over and was so kind and caring. He gently walked me back to my room and calmly explained why I needed to stay there. His demeanor really helped me calm down. But I was still so sad. The hospitalization really triggered my depression and anxiety and I just wanted to run away! Later that morning, Imran took a break and instead of caring about himself, he brought in a wheelchair and took me out to the little garden to get a change of scenery. We sat out there (Imran, my husband, and I) for about 10-15 minutes just chatting. He spent his break making me feel better! I cannot express how much that meant to me, and how much it cheered me up! Then, for the rest of my stay, Imran personally made sure I was not just ok physically, but mentally too. Wow, what a difference it made for me. Honestly, I felt like I was his only patient because he always made me feel important and like I, as a person, mattered. He kept me updated on things like when the doctor was going to see me, how my blood sugar was doing, etc. On top of all that, he has a wicked sense of humor and always made me laugh. Usually, nurses seem to focus on the patient’s physical well-being, which is fine as that’s what they are there for. But to have a nurse also go out of his way to make sure my mental health was intact, well, that’s special. Being in the hospital is no fun by any means. But to have a nurse like Imran…it made a miserable situation more bearable. He was my angel, and he truly is an extraordinary nurse. I hope you will recognize him for his genuine compassion, talent, and humanity. Thank you.