Amanda McCreary arrived at work on Sunday, with two cakes in hand - one each for a child whose birthday would have been much sadder if they had not had the good fortune of having Amanda as their nurse that day.

The first cake and impromptu ceremony brightened the day of a child who was far from home for a required neurosurgery.

The second brought a small sense of normalcy to a girl who had suffered significant injury and lost two family members in an automobile accident. Amanda had worked closely with this patient throughout the week and by the time she painted the child's toenails on Sunday there were small but significant signs of brightening in this child's affect.

Later in the shift, Amanda paged through a picture book with a victim of a non-accidental trauma who held close to her throughout their time together.

These acts of the heart are complemented by a strong intellect, an innate curiosity and a steady push for improvement. Amanda asks "Why" and then finds answers. "Is there a Lyme's disease prophylaxis protocol following a tick bite?" "Does Toradol really improve post-op pain scores in spinal fusion patients?" Amanda is exploring the possibility of launching a small-scale study on this one. "Why exactly are we doing this in this way?"

Her co-workers will confirm with a smile that Amanda can go toe-to-toe with any 5 year old on the volume of questions asked. Not a bad quality for any aspiring Nurse Practitioner. It's difficult to describe, but one senses that great things await Amanda - that somehow she will put some aspect of the profession on her back and carry it to new and exciting places. But more importantly -- more to the core of who she is -- there will continue to be legions of children and families touched by her compassion and kindness and expertise. That is the true win for the profession. That is why she embodies the values implicit in the DAISY Award.