I had back surgery, and when I woke up, I was in the PACU. Like most patients, I was a little disoriented, I was a little nervous, I was in pain, and I was looking for my wife. As soon as I opened my eyes, my first memory was Kerry Mannion—the woman who would become the most compassionate medical professional I have ever encountered. I have had surgeries previously, so I have been through the process. Kerry was not like any other nurse that I have met. What makes Kerry different? You could argue that she was doing her job, but I would argue that she was doing what an angel would do. I told her she was an angel to me, and my wife agreed. She treated me kindly and spoke to me like I was the most important person in her world. I don't know how things work for nurses in PACU, but I know that I felt like I was her only patient, and she was by my side until the shift change occurred. She reassured me, told me where my wife was, and got my pain under control promptly. When my wife was permitted to come down, she treated her the same way. She knew my wife was worried, and she reassured her. Every interaction I had with her was treated as if it was her "honor and privilege" to be caring for me. I have never felt that way about any caregiver before.

Kerry is everything that anyone could ever want in a nurse. Even during the shift change, she ensured I was okay and asked some other nearby nurses who were having a loud conversation to move further away because it was disturbing me. Walking out the door, she still cared for me. Her care was so exemplary that when I came back 2 weeks later to get my staples out, my wife and I went back to the PACU with hopes we could see her. I brought her a card and cookies as a thank you. When we approached her, she asked if she could help me. I began to speak by saying, "You already did, about 2 weeks ago," and she remembered me when she heard my voice. She jumped out of her chair and told us how good it was to see me standing and walking, and when I began to tell her the impact that she had on me, she cried and hugged us both. What a beautiful human! Kerry represents everything that medicine should be. She represents what every human should be like. The difference is that many people aren't that way, so when someone like Kerry steps into the room, the room gets brighter, much, much brighter. I live over an hour from the hospital, and Kerry is a huge part of why I would make that drive again whenever I needed a hospital. I was treated well by the entire hospital staff, and above all, Kerry rose to the top. Many nurses are on that mountain, and Kerry stands at the peak. She turned what could've been the worst moment of my day into one of my greatest medical memories.