---

Let's imagine I caught a pesky illness from someone at the Chronicle and have been miserable for a couple days. I'm sore, tired, but don't want to go to the doctor. Take a guess as to who my first phone call is to?
Last week I celebrated National Nurses Week with my sister Gina, a registered nurse who currently works at Mendota Mental Health in Madison. She worked very hard to graduate from Edgewood College with her nursing degree and is one of those nurses that genuinely cares about each and every one of us.
As a way to honor her and thousands of other nurses, we participated in the Upland Hills Health Nurses Day Community Run/Walk on Thursday night. The rain held off and it was a wonderful night for a walk through the neighborhoods around the hospital.
We had been walking behind a group of ladies that had a little girl also walking with them. I was huffing and puffing by the second mile, and the little girl looked just as tired as me!
As we wrapped around the hospital for the final stretch before the finish line, the little girl we had been watching tripped and fell, letting out a few painful tears. Gina immediately ran over to console the little girl and make sure she was okay.
After checking her hands and knees for scrapes, one of the ladies from the little girl's family scooped her up on their shoulders and walked with her until the end.
Once they got a little ways ahead, Gina turned to me and said, "Sorry I had to do that, but I just had to make sure she was okay."
But there was no need for her to apologize. I thought it was a special moment because making sure people are okay isn't only just a part of Gina's job, it is a part of who she is as a person.
I tell Gina that she is a very special person, especially to care for those with mental ailments and illness, but I'm sure it's something we all could tell a nurse more often than we do.
Even though Nurses Week is over, it isn't too late to thank a nurse. So here is my special thank you to my nurse, Gina. Thank you for all that you do!
And a special thank you to all the nurses in our area and beyond. I feel safe knowing there are caring people like each and every one of you in our communities.