Recently, Heartland of Oregon granted the Heart’s Desire of Nilda, a patient, to attend the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) in Dublin, OH. Nilda has been a state board member since 2014 but was unable to attend the conference last year as she was recovering from a spinal surgery that left her partially paralyzed.

Nilda plays a very important role as a state board member for NAMI. She is the first Latina woman to sit on the state board from Toledo, OH. She began as a volunteer and then started working as a facilitator and teaching classes. She was the first bi-lingual facilitator in Northwest Ohio. This was very important as Latinas were shy to attend NAMI classes because of their language barrier. Nilda became a translator and helped to open doors for those who speak Spanish to seek the benefits of NAMI. She was also the first facilitator to start support groups in Northwest Ohio. She was then asked to be a state board member.

Heartland of Oregon transferred Nilda to one of our other facilities, Heartland of Dublin, so she could attend the conference. When she arrived at Heartland of Dublin, they rolled out the red carpet. The staff were there to greet her, escort her to her private room and give her a bouquet of welcome flowers.

“I never knew anything like a Heart’s Desire existed. I am grateful that Heartland of Oregon took me into consideration for this gift. I did not think it would ever be a possibility with everything that has happened to me and not being able to walk. It was a dream come true,” said Nilda.

Hello! I was recently a patient at Heartland of Dublin, where I experienced exemplary care from the nurses and aides. I am old— 87 years — and during that long life I’ve had to receive skilled nursing care before, but never has it been as consistently pleasant and kind as at Heartland of Dublin.

In particular, I want to commend nurse Debbie. Debbie was often my night nurse, and when so, I slept especially well, knowing that she cared so well for me. But not only that, she was sweet and kind and compassionate. When I was leaving, I almost wept. Debbie told me, “It was an honor and a pleasure serving you.” I hope that you can and will in some way honor Debbie.

I’ve just spent about two months at Heartland of Dublin and have a few comments to make about two of your employees. Nurse Tracy saved my life. Or so said my physician friend who visited me after it happened. The doctor had prescribed a medication that I was very allergic to – Vibromycin. Tracy came into my room with her kind ways and smile and asked me privately if I was allergic to Vibromycin, as she had read it on my chart. I said yes, and she asked what happened when I took it. I told her that hives were so terrible that they were even on my palms and the bottom of my feet. So she took it away and called the doctor who had prescribed it for me. Not only was she vigilant, she was always pleasant and warm and made us feel better just by entering our room. I can’t say enough about her that is good!

Another person who was an amazing boost to my morale while there – Jill. She was all smiles and cheer wherever she was. And that was all over the place, scattering goodwill around her as if fairy dust. Among her jobs was to have me sign papers as a new patient. I always dreaded and felt unsure signing them. But Jill for the first time in my long life (86 years) sat across from me and unhurriedly showed me paper after paper with detailed explanations in layman’s language. So I was comfortable signing each one. She stopped in to see me occasionally, bringing her sunshine smile with her and leaving the sun part to warm my day. Oh, if only I could have her still to warm my days at home! So please also treasure Jill while she is with Heartland, and I hope she remains there always. You’ve a true winner there!