A few weeks ago, we went through the incredible loss of my dad. Alana Waters will always hold a special place in our family's heart. Alana was my dad's weekend night nurse. Not only did she provide amazing care to my dad, she also brought my family peace and comfort on one the worst nights of our lives.
You see, things were looking great for my dad. Clearly, since he was in ICU, no one was questioned whether he was sick, but everyone believed and told us repeatedly that he would soon be moved to a step-down room, until, he wasn't. A few days later in the afternoon, Dad took a turn for the worst, and it was said for the first time that he would likely not recover. No one had uttered those words to us and not only were they being said, it seemed initially his death was imminent.
Alana walked into her shift amid this chaos. Alana wasn't supposed to be there that night. She came back in to work another night with my dad. She came back, I believe, to be used by God to be a source of comfort in an overwhelmingly scary situation. Alana finally convinced my mom and me to just go eat and afterward we would come back and evaluate the situation. After what was arguably the hardest meal of my life, we returned to discover that Alana was able to calm my dad down and get his O2 levels to return to the high 90's. Alana encouraged us to go home and rest, assuring us that she would call should something changed. We were able to find some peace that night because we knew that she was not only taking care of my dad but us too.
Alana didn't have to be there, Alana could have succumbed to the chaos but, Alana chose to be there and to be hopeful (but realistic), to be a source of peace and strength, and to be someone that we could trust when it felt like our world was falling apart. Ultimately, my dad didn't make it. Though we are grieving, we felt we had to nominate Alana for the DAISY Award because she embodies all that an incredible nurse should be. Alana's sweet spirit was contagious and more should strive to be like her.