Recently, my son was an outpatient in your hospital. I wish to nominate a nurse that was Outstanding! The Best! The person that I want to tell you about was my son's nurse. She touched our lives. Her name is Tammy Burton. She is the most amazing nurse that I have ever known! My son was very fortunate to have her that day. From the first moment that she introduced herself to the time he was discharged, she was thoughtful, easy to talk to, and patient.

She was going thru my son's chart and within minutes she said "oh, he works at Howard Training Center", knowing that she knew what that was or meant; which told me that she understood without me having to go into detail about my son's delays. She reassured me that she will explain to him step by step everything that is going to happen today. And she will let the other nurse who is in the operating room know to watch over my son. That meant so much to me. She put me at ease from the start.

My son is developmentally delayed and gets very nervous, anxious and stressed. Especially if he is in an unknown situation, place, or like today, surgery. He was so nervous that his legs were trembling out of control; He said he was cold. Tammy, in her gentle kind manner explained to my son that if he had any questions or did not understand something she may have said, or even a new or specific word, to stop her and tell her. She will re-explain it or say it differently. She also explained that it was okay to do this. This she said with all sincerity. She took the time to give him time. That meant the world to us. She quickly eliminated any fears that my son may have had. Even though it was only one day, we will never forget her. She is truly a special, caring, good hearted person.

My son is not big on writing letters, but I asked him to give me a few words he thinks of when I say Tammy's name and these are the words that he used, "safe, cares, nice and likes me".