A Deep And Lasting Bond Of Hope Between A Nurse And A COVID-19 Patient

CHICAGO (CBS) -- We wanted to honor a nurse this National Nurses Day, but it turns out the one nurse we picked actually wanted to thank her former COVID-19 patient whom she helped save.

Sonja Myers shared her story of their special bond with CBS 2's Charlie De Mar Wednesday night.

Myers went above and beyond for Ike Williams. He entered her care at just the right time, and when she needed it most.

She was beaming when they connected again over Zoom on Wednesday, in a display of what true appreciation looks like.

"Look at you, Ike!" Myers said. "You have no clue what a blessing you have been."

Myers has formed an unlikely bond with Williams, the COVID-19 patient she helped save at AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center in Bolingbrook.

"I knew the family needed hope," Myers said. "I knew entire ICU team needed hope."

Myers didn't just take care of Williams – she empathized.

"I have been unable to see my dad, and that's the hardest part, and I don't want to cry, because it makes me cry when I think about it," Myers said.

So to bring Williams' family closer, Myers dressed his windows in yellow hearts and family pictures, so Williams' loved ones like Tamara Veasy knew where to direct their prayers.

"It made me feel good, like we had some sort of connection," Veasy said. "When she did that, it absolutely floored me."

"She said: 'It's OK to cry. It's OK to, you know, whatever emotions you have, she said, 'It's OK, we're going to get through this,'" Williams said.

"Ike's healing came at a time when we needed to feel and actually see hope," Myers said.

Williams no doubt needed his superhero nurse, but he checked in at a time when his nurse desperately needed him.

"He was admitted three minutes after I lost a patient," Myers said. "There was something about him, and I told one of the physicians when she came down to see him, immediately, I said, 'This one is going to survive.'"

He did survive and is healing by the day. And Williams' gratitude for his nurse is already at full strength.

"I thank you again," he told Myers. "You were very inspirational to me, because you know what I was going through mentally."

"I was right there with you. I was right there with you," Myers said. "I was not willing to let you give up."