This is the award-winning letter sent to Chris Caris:
I must say, as the wife of a 35 year old Cystic Fibrosis patient, I have seen my fair share of nurses. I have never had another stand out in my mind or in my heart than Chris. I remember the first time my husband and I met him... it was my husband's first trip to the MICU, back in March 2007. It was about halfway through Chris' shift and although you could tell he was busy he made sure to put us both at ease before he even left the room for a moment. I can easily say that from the moment I met him, I knew he was special.
Fast forward 6 months. My husband was again transferred to the MICU for care. Although Chris was never assigned to my husband's room, he always stopped by just to say "hello" and see how we were doing. We were transferred out of the MICU brifely before my husband went into respiratory failure and required intubation. Back to MICU we went. As soon as Chris saw me after everything happened, he pulled me aside and made sure that I was okay before asking the backstory as to why he was back.
I never felt more comfortable while my husband was in MICU as I was when Chris was on the floor. Although the other nurses were phenominal, he just stood out. I will never forget walking through the doors of the MICUon Saturday, September 1, 2007 and the first face I saw was Chris'. He had a huge smile on his face. He was the first to tell me that my husband had successfully been extubated. I couldn't have been any happier that he was the one that was able to pass along such great news! Throughout the rest of my husband's stay in MICU, Chris always stopped in while he was there just to make sure that all was going well.
Fast forward another 6 months. Here we are, March 2008. My husband went into full respiratory failure again and found himself in the CICU. As I walked through the Heart Center's rotunda area, there sat Chris with his family. He wasn't there as a nurse, but as a family member to a patient. He had already heard that my husband was back and had to be intubated again. I stopped to simply say hello and he wanted to know how everything was going and made it a point to say that he would stop in to say hello to my husband.
I could continue on for what feels like forever giving Chris praise for the care that he has provided, but I'm sure this nomination is long-winded enough as it is. To make a very long story short, Chris has only been "assigned" to my husband for less than 1 day. In our many trips to the MICU, he was always there. Always willing to lend an ear, a smile, anything to show just how much he cared. He is certainly one in a million, and I feel so lucky just to have been able to meet him. There is a certain level of trust that as a patient or even in my case; the wife of a patient, that you put into your care providers. I have never felt so comfortable, so at ease, and I have never trusted anyone with my husband's care the way that I trust Chris.
All in all, I just want to say THANK YOU! If there is anyone that deserves this award, it's certainly Chris Caris. |