Our health care systems might be different, but a Stateside emergency nurse says that our values give us a common bond

LAST YEAR, 19-year-old Cara Farella survived a near-fatal asthma attack. While she cannot remember the details of her ordeal, she easily recalls how nurses who cared for her made her feel. ‘I was far from home but I felt safe, relaxed and filled with hope that I would conquer my asthma,’ she says. ‘The nurses who cared for me were respectful. They didn’t think less of me because I was not always compliant. They understood I was still learning to deal with this new disease.’