To me, she is not just a Nurse Practitioner. She is the person who singlehandedly may have changed the outcome of my family. 

As I reflect on my recent medical concerns and appointment with my Nurse Practitioner, Kristen DeGroff, I cannot help but think about what she shared with me our very first visit. During our first visit to establish patient/doctor status, Kristen shared with me that she treats her patients just like she would treat a family member – which includes giving the best care possible based on her abilities and knowledge. This statement rang very true for me recently.  Unfortunately, my fiancé and I have been struggling with fertility. We have sought out help through the fertility clinic.  We were so excited to finally be pregnant when we received the first positive result, only to be disappointed with a miscarriage many times repeated.  In addition to fertility issues, I personally suffer from high blood pressure and am on daily medication.  In what I thought was a routine request for a medication refill, Kristen made an incredible discovery.  She reviewed my chart and noticed I had been seeing the fertility clinic and immediately had her staff call me to stop the medication, as this specific medication can cause fetal injury and/or death if it is taken during the very early stages of pregnancy.  I share all of this because, she could have just refilled my medication per normal, however, through this I learned her process is to do a thorough chart review to ensure that nothing has changed since previous patient visits. And for me, it had,  and thankfully she immediately stepped into action!  I thank her from the bottom of my heart. In a world where mostly the bad is shared, I felt important to recognize the good that she is doing for not just me, but our medical community.  To me, she is not just a Nurse Practitioner. She is the person who singlehandedly may have changed the outcome of my family.