My mother-in-law died suddenly after an idiopathic acute flare of what they are calling interstitial lung disease, though really we do not know. This woman was a healthy, 66-year-old grandmother of 4 who picked them up in carpool almost every day, walked avidly, ate well, had no other ailments, watched my baby, and brought my kids to school so I could work part-time as a nurse myself. It was and is a complete shock. She was trick-or-treating with my kids one day and at the hospital the next, and never left.

On the last days of her life, a nurse named Shane Alonzo was assigned to her care. He did not even meet her when she was speaking, as she was on a vent by this time, but somehow made us feel like he was connected to her and that she was his sole priority. He advocated for her, listened to us when we advocated for her, and was just there. Not only that, but when it came time to be the end, he stayed on to work an extra shift or two to make sure he was her nurse on her last day. This speaks volumes to the individual he is. We were blessed with someone who was one of the most loving people I have ever come across. I'll never forget Shane being part of the end of my mother-in-law's journey. I wish him the best success in life and know he will receive it, because karma is real and he deserves that. I know this by meeting him for maybe 30 minutes of my life.