A stay at Madison Hospital this spring gave 100-year-old Kathleen Contillo more than a path back to good health. It also gave her a new friend.

Contillo spent more than a week in the hospital’s Acute Surgical Care Unit after developing pneumonia. Among the nurses caring for her was 27-year-old registered nurse Ramah Mohsin.

The two quickly formed a bond that lasted well beyond Contillo’s discharge. When it came time to celebrate her 100th birthday July 3, she insisted Mohsin be there.

“She just fell head over heels for Ramah and had to have him at her party,” said Contillo’s daughter, Jan Pickard.

The celebration was held at Merrill Gardens, the senior living community next to Madison Hospital where Contillo has lived since 2020.

Pickard said her mother appreciated all of the caregivers who helped her during her illness, but there was something different about her connection with Mohsin.

“He just had this aura about him,” Pickard said. “He was so patient and caring with my mother, and she would do exactly what he said. It was just a really close bond between them.”

Contillo knew something about nursing herself. She worked as a nurse for a Huntsville family physician when she was younger, giving her and Mohsin a shared connection despite their 73-year age difference.

Their friendship grew during the everyday moments of her hospital stay.

Mohsin said they talked about their families, and each morning Contillo would ask to see a photo of his infant daughter. He also made sure his patient had opportunities to keep up some of the routines that made her feel like herself.

“Every morning she would jokingly say, ‘My boyfriend is here,’ and wanted to put on her lipstick,” Mohsin said. “She also liked having her nails done. She looks amazing and is just a superstar.”

Mohsin initially served as Contillo’s primary nurse for three consecutive days. When his scheduled time off arrived, however, Contillo asked whether she would see him the following morning.

He volunteered to work two more shifts that week.

For Mohsin, nursing is personal.

A native of Yemen who moved to the United States as a child, he was inspired to pursue the profession after losing his 19-year-old sister to a chronic illness.

He earned his nursing degree from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and has worked in Madison Hospital’s Acute Surgical Care Unit since 2023.

Mohsin also mentors aspiring registered nurses and plans to eventually become a nurse practitioner.

“Madison Hospital is a great place to work,” Mohsin said. “I love it here and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Pickard credits Mohsin and the rest of the Madison Hospital team with helping her mother recover from a lengthy illness and return to the independent life she enjoyed before becoming sick.

Now 100, Contillo uses a walker but continues to live independently.

And her daughter’s experience watching the hospital team care for her mother left an impression of its own.

“If something happens to me, take me to Ramah’s unit on the fourth floor,” Pickard said. “He’s never too hurried and always goes above and beyond the call of duty. We couldn’t have asked for a better nurse.”

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