Thank you all for always looking out for me. Especially when I couldn't look after myself.

There were many of you. Many of whom I don't even remember. Even though I'm writing to specific ones, I am thankful for you all. You all made a special and long-lasting impact on my life.

I remember the first day going in for my cerebral angiogram. This was on a very special day of my life, my 21st birthday. It was my first time undergoing anesthesia. A cerebral angiogram isn't particularly a painful experience, but not the most pleasurable thing to be doing on your birthday. I did it to myself though, because I wanted it over with. It's hard to explain, but before they begin they make you very loopy. They are running a wire/catheter up some major arteries in your leg, up to your neck so they don't want you to move your head. They put this thing called coband around your head to keep you from moving. This can be a particularly uncomfortable and scary experience, so the first one goes out to the nurse who helped me through this.

To the nurse who wiped the tears from my eyes in the OR,

Thank you. You told me everything would be okay. This meant the world to me. You literally didn't have to do that. It's not in your job description to care, it's in your heart.

To my nurse Alex in the neuro ICU,

I love you. Over my hospital stays, you became my favorite nurse. You taught me what it truly means to put others before yourself. When I pressed my call light, my stitch popped lose, and you with your heart of gold, put your ungloved hand on my leg. You didn't have to do that. They actually teach you the opposite of that in nursing school. You literally put me before yourself. You taught me so many things without even knowing it. I will never forget you. You're literally my hero. You helped me at my weakest point in my life. When I couldn't do anything at all for myself, you did. You washed my hair after they had done the craniotomy. You took the time to literally wash the dried blood off, thank you. When I was in pain, you advocated for me medication. I love you, and I will never forget you. I wish I could tell you all of this in person. You're so good at your job. I'm forever thankful for you.

To the nurse who let both of my parents come back to post op,

You are so sweet. You have no idea how much this meant to me or my family. The thought of choosing one parent to bring back with you before brain surgery is terrifying. Telling your mother bye, and your dad coming back with you to the room is hard. Mom was freaking out, and dad was a nervous wreck. You made it so that they could both come back and I am forever grateful. You didn't have to do that, but you chose to, and I'm forever grateful for that.

To the nurse who calmed me down before surgery,

By this surgery, I was sick of the smell of sterility, it literally made me nauseated. I don't know why, but this surgery was different. Probably because it was pretty serious. When they put the mask on my face to fall asleep, the last thing I remember is me breathing super hard and beginning to freak out and you squeezed my hand and told me it would all be okay. Even though I was crying, I promise you it calmed me down. Thank you.

To the nurse who braided my hair,

You deserve a trophy. I have no idea who you are, but you saved my hair from being shaved. My scar is hidden. No one believes I had brain surgery a year ago. You made it so that I wasn't half bald. I am FOREVER grateful for you and I love you. Thank you.

To the nurse who told me to get some sleep,

You're right. As much as I hate it, you are. I'm not the same person I used to be. Physically my body can't handle the no sleep thing. I'm grateful you're honest with me. As brutal and as much as I don't want to hear it, I need sleep. Thank you for always being truthful with me.

To my sister,

Thank you. Thank you for bathing me for weeks after surgeries. Thank you for always being only a phone call away. Thank you for making a eating budget because I loved to eat out so much during this time. Eating out was our time to get away from all the stress of what was going on around us. Thank you for pushing me all the way, and for always sleeping in my bed. I love you, Ash. You're amazing. Your patients are blessed to have you. I'm sorry you had to work for free for months on months. Thank you for not only being my sister, but also my nurse.

To my mother,

Thank you for always being my nurse, at home or wherever. You always ensured I had my medicine and had it on time. I'm so blessed to have a momma like you. Thank you for all the nights you stayed with me at the hospital. Even when you didn't know the couch pulled out. I'm sorry I yelled at you and got rude. I blame it on the drugs. I didn't mean it. Hearing the stories breaks my heart. Thank you for all you do. I love you.

To my best friend,

Yes I know you're not a nurse yet. But you're in nursing school and at the time you were a CNA. Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thank you for actually waking up to me having a seizure and finding help. I love you. I'm so grateful for you. Thank you for being so supportive and loving. Thank you for being there for me. You're so awesome. Thank you for always being there, even though I went MIA half the time because of the drugs. I'm sorry. I love you, Mya. You're my sister. Thank you for not only being my sister, but also my best friend throughout life. You're so special and you're gonna be a great nurse. I promise you that. I love you big. I’m so proud of you always. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am now. You also taught me what it is to be a nurse and I’m forever grateful for that. Thank you for visiting me when you could. I know it was hard with school, but I appreciate the visits we had. I’ll never forget them. You taught me even though times get busy, to focus on your friends and patients also. Even though you had to see me at one of my lowest points, you still made time for visits when you could and I forever am thankful for that. Thank you for still looking at me like normal and not just thinking about the bad times. I love you. Thank you for even though I was sick, making life bearable with the little trips we would go on. Even if it was simply to town. I know it didn’t seem like much, but it meant the world to me. You gave me some sense of normalcy which was rare. I love you. So thank you for teaching me that a good nurse takes time out of their busy day for their patients. I love you forever.

To my grandma,

Thank you for taking care of me. All the days you stayed with me, brought me Hardee's biscuits, icees, and just hung out with me. A year off school and away from friends was hard, but during those times you became one of my best friends and I'm forever grateful for those memories. I love you.

To my papa,

Thank you for all the days you came to stay with me. I love you so much. I loved watching movies with you even though I ended up falling asleep during them. You're the best. Thank you for always making sure I didn't have a seizure when I was asleep. I love you. You also became one of my best friends.

To my family,

Thank you all. For being there for me always. I'm so beyond thankful for y'all. Abby, you would always sing me songs. I loved that. you're a ray of sunshine. Dad, you always called the doctor for me and advocated for me. You also always took me for ice cream. Thank you. Thank you Sam, for always being one phone call away. I love y'all so much.

To all my nurses,

I love you. You're such a blessing. Nurses go so unappreciated. You all had such an impact in my life, and you continue to. I wrote about y'all in my entrance letter for nursing school. You all gave me insight on what it is to truly put others before yourself. I'm forever grateful for all of y'all. I just wish I could tell you all in person. You all inspired me to go onto nursing school and pursue my dream. You're amazing. I'm grateful I was one of the lucky ones who got lucky enough to be called your patient.

Sincerely,

A grateful patient♥️