In May, my dad was admitted to the ICU and Kristen H. was his nurse. She noticed that my dad's breathing levels/rates were just fine when he was asleep, as opposed to his trouble when he was awake. I had been telling ER nurses his breathing pattern was due to his anxiety, and even after they watched it go up after administrating albuterol, didn't give him a Xanax. Kristen, by contrast, noticed that my dad's respiratory rate was just fine when he was asleep, as opposed to the rapid breathing he had when he was awake. She consulted with my dad, my mom and myself, called for a psych eval, and then spoke with his primary physician who was able to adjust his Xanax prescription to help him deal with the situation. She wanted to know if my dad knew that he didn't HAVE to feel like this, that no, indeed, it wasn't normal, it wasn't just him, and he COULD be helped. For someone who doesn't have a baseline of what wellness feels like, this is life-altering news. The change was immediate and it was amazing to see my dad joking with nurses and not turn everything (like not having his food choice available) into a "total disaster," his typical response when anything new or unexpected happened. When my dad went down for a test (which she wasn't needed for, as his status had changed) she took the opportunity to talk with my mom about her obvious level of anxiety as well from the point of a very concerned clinician. Her attitude was kind, empathetic, and caring, and she wanted to let my mom know that she wasn't alone, and this was more than what she should feel she has to bear on her own and that help WAS available. She didn't give up talking about it when my mom got short with her, and she remained so, so kind. And when my mom sarcastically said, yea, okay, when Kristen asked if she would at least consider talking to someone, she respected that decision. Note, I have been trying to talk to my mom about this for YEARS, as it is resulting in dangerous decisions, and ruining our already tense relationship further. It was wonderful to have a clinical person addressing this with her who was so kind and understanding, as I have long since lost patience and empathy with her stubbornness and refusal to address this. Though my mom meddled in the medical decision regarding the Xanax when my dad went to a different floor, the experience DID reinforce the idea that if he was getting short of breath or panicking that he COULD and SHOULD take another pill, that he didn't HAVE to feel that way and that it WASN'T normal. It empowered him by helping him know it was doctor-approved, and it empowers me to remind him to do this when I hear of it happening. When I look at the core values that Silver Cross puts forth, Kristen clearly meets them all. In such a short period of time, she literally changed my dad's life. I will be forever grateful that she was his nurse.