My father was diagnosed with Stage 3 Squamous Cell Throat cancer. Although the doctors all said his chances were excellent for a full recovery, the entire family was scared to death, unsure of the “cancer” diagnosis. He went to Exempla Lutheran Medical Center for his biopsy, where he needed to have a tracheotomy placed for his breathing. When my father was sent to the ICU, a special nurse was called in to take care of him, Susan Ryan. It was so unbelievably overwhelming to walk into his room and see what my once strong father looked like. All of a sudden, along comes Susan or “Susie from Boston” as we came to know her. She saw the distress in our eyes and our faces. Susie reached out and took my hand, as to let me know that everything would be okay. With that, she gave me the most caring hug a person could ever ask for.