Although I have only known Amy for a short period of time I could tell from the first day she started working in our unit that she was an extraordinary nurse. This is apparent not only by the exceptional care she gives her patients but also by the compassion that she shares with the families. I nominated Amy for the DAISY Award after seeing the impact she made on a particular patient and her family. Having transferred to our hospital from a large NICU, Amy has unfortunately had many encounters with end of life cares and bereavement.

On this night, the unit nurses were made aware of a fetal demise that was to deliver on our shift. In these situations NICU nurses are typically not involved because there is nothing that can be done for the infant and our scope of practice does not involve any care of the mother. After learning of the situation, Amy felt compelled to help in the only way she could. She offered to the family to take photos of the baby to give them a keepsake of their precious daughter. Amy not only took special care to take exceptional photos but also took the time to involve the father and the aunt during the entire process. Once the photos were taken, Amy then spent additional time to edit the photos before sending them to the family.

I feel like Amy exemplifies what it means to be a DAISY Nurse through the compassion she showed for a patient, and the family of a patient, that was not even under her care. It is actions like these that mean so much in such tragic time in someone's life. Although this family has to endure the loss of their precious daughter, they will forever be able to look back on the photos and see how beautiful she truly was. Amy is truly a wonderful nurse and a wonderful addition to our unit and we are so very proud that she has been honored with the DAISY Award.