I wasn't sure how to start writing this nomination.  When I think about the care we received from Amy, one thing always comes to mind ... passion. Coming across someone with a true passion for something is rare but compelling. These nurses devote an incredible amount of time towards something that they do not directly reap the benefits from, but the service they provide towards others is their true reward.  Amy is the textbook definition of someone who has an immense passion for helping others and continually improving herself to better provide for those she cares for. 

Our daughter LJ was born at 26 weeks and only 1 lb 6 oz, to a family who was both anxious and apprehensive about what her care in the NICU would look like. Our first interaction with Amy came when our daughter was having her PICC line removed. We were so impressed with her expertise and compassion that we quickly requested her to be our primary nurse for the remainder of our daughter's time in the NICU. To this day, we both believe this was the best decision we ever made. Amy devoted herself to caring for LJ not only professionally but personally, and made us feel like LJ was her only patient.  As her parents, this made us feel comfortable leaving our baby in her hands. When Amy was not directly assigned to LJ, she consistently checked up on both her and us to make sure we understood the care plan and was our biggest advocate with the providers. Time and again she went above and beyond what was expected to ensure LJ received the best care. The level of knowledge and expertise Amy possesses instilled a vast amount of confidence in us as parents, knowing that everything she did would fully benefit LJ. The NICU is a hard place to be, not only for a baby but for parents as well, and without Amy, there is no telling how much harder our experience might have been. 

There are not enough words to fully describe the appreciation and admiration we have for Amy and what she did for us and LJ during our time at the NICU. We humbly believe Amy is the epitome of a DAISY Nurse. The work she does and the devotion she exhibits aren't for the fame and accolades but to truly help those she cares for, and that is what true passion means. -DAD

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Above is my husband’s nomination letter, but I would also like to add a few words, because Amy is so deserving of this award. The 94 days that our daughter spent in the NICU were understandably the most emotional, exhausting, and hardest time of our lives. With LJ being our first child, our expectations had to completely shift because we were not in charge. As an anxious mother, this is very challenging – even more so knowing I had to leave the care of my child in the hands of complete strangers every day. While LJ was cared for by an amazing team of nurses, one, I truly believe, aided in transitioning our 1 lb. 6 oz. baby into a 5-pound completely healthy baby girl. This nurse is Amy Wilson. Quickly becoming our primary nurse – Amy gained our full trust. Amy made sure to update LJ‘s whiteboard daily, send multiple Vocera messages per shift, attend rounds, speak up with her input, make crafts out of LJ‘s hands and feet, stayed on top of every order that was entered, changed every isolette crib on time, snuggled LJ when we were not able to, introduced LJ to hair bows, checked on LJ and us even if we didn’t have her as our nurse for the day, and so much more.  But I’m about to run out of room. The bottom line is – Amy Wilson is an amazing nurse in this field. We have gained a lifelong friend in Amy and will never forget the endless amount of passion that Amy exhibited in ensuring we left the NICU with a happy, healthy baby- and we did! -MOM