Last summer when I checked in to have my left knee surgery I was greeted by Kathy, the volunteer charged with wheeling me to pre-op. After the surgeon was done with the overhaul of old lefty I found myself on 3rd Surgical. My first visitor from the hospital staff to check on me turned out to be Nurse Kathy. I told her I thought she was the volunteer. She replied, "Why, yes, I am a volunteer here at the hospital. I am also the RN in charge of your well-being." Right then and there I knew I was in good hands with a caring professional. Throughout the day Kathy would check in on me along with the other staff. Kathy made it a point to include my coach/wife in all discussions of great (and minimal) importance, ensuring both of us understood. Kathy made it a point to stop by at the end of her shift to check my well-being and say goodnight.
Fast forward to January this year and once again I found myself crossing the threshold at St. Joe's for another early morning date to replace my right knee. The check-in, pre-op, procedure and post-op phases were pretty much uneventful. Once again Nurse Kathy was on duty and made it a point to check on me throughout the day, no matter how busy things got. With all of this being said, I really appreciate the care and compassion provided to me by Nurse Kathy. She is a true professional and I was very fortunate to have her take care of me!