A lifechanging diagnosis required that I have surgery at McKee Medical Center during the COVID surge when no family members were allowed to be present with the patient before or after surgery. As a nurse, but moreover as a patient, there are no words that can begin to express the paralyzing fear that overwhelms you when you realize that you will be completely alone and may never wake up and see your family again, or that you may have a complication and that your people will not be able to be there with you. These were the thoughts that plagued my mind and heart as my husband dropped me off to face the unknown, and I’m quite certain he was also filled with same degree of trepidation and anxiety.

As I reflect now on the entire experience, one memory and one voice stand out that made all the difference in the world to me, and it was the comforting, familiar voice of Karen Anton, RN. Karen is a nurse well known to me for her years of providing exemplary compassion and skilled, knowledgeable care to her patients. There is no price that can be placed on the value of feeling safe when you as a patient are at your most vulnerable. There is no work more sacred than that of nurses like Karen, who have dedicated their careers to treating every patient like they are family.

Karen, for many years, has been a staunch advocate of the patient who cannot advocate for themselves. Myself and my entire family are forever grateful to Karen and her team for ensuring that although I was alone, that I did not ever feel alone. She reassured me, comforted me, anticipated my needs, maintained my dignity, and kept me safe.

Karen, you are a lighthouse for every single patient that you care for, my heart extends to you my greatest love and gratitude. YOU truly exemplify the qualities in a nurse that inspired the inception of The DAISY Award for nurses. God Bless You and thank you, from the bottom of my heart!