Cancer is a journey. High highs and below sea level lows. When our mom was diagnosed with cancer the second time in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020, a tumultuous year became seemingly worse. Chemo and radiation alone, quarantine, distance from loved ones- it seemed unbearable at times. 

As our mom’s health began to decline more rapidly in the fall of 2023, our family found ourselves 90 miles from our small, rural town, at Missouri Baptist Medical Center with a plethora of new complications. 

Concerned and sensing that her cancer journey would be ending soon, our feisty and sometimes loud family bombarded our room every hour of every day throughout my mom’s ten-day stay. Every staff member was exceptional. From the humming staff member who daily spot mopped the floor, to the on-call PAs and physicians who took their time every single visit to speak in layman’s terms and answer every question, even if we asked it three times. 

One nurse who stuck out was Brendan. No matter the tension that existed in the room when he walked in, everything felt lighter in his presence. Normalizing mom's daily procedures that she sometimes felt embarrassed about, Brendan’s quick wit and charm were exactly what our family needed throughout her stay. 

Brendan’s dynamic personality and attention to detail made the biggest difference to our mom and our entire family and make him the exceptional practitioner that he is. 

When Mom’s stay was coming to an end, our dad kept telling us about Brendan every day. How wonderful he was, how he had decided that Brendan would be his “adopted son” because he went above and beyond his daily responsibilities, Brendan found joy in his work and cared for our mom like she was a member of his own family. 

When mom was discharged and waiting for someone from transport to wheel her to the entrance, she had been waiting a few minutes when Brendan jumped in and said, “I’ll take care of it.” He went the extra mile, gathered Mom’s things, and quickly swept her away down to the entrance to be picked up. He gently assisted her broken body into her care. Brendan stopped to take a photo with her at her request. She wanted to remember him and his kindness, so she could tell people about him when she got home. 

Our mom was placed in the care of hospice a week after she came home. As we sat and visited, she showed us her photo of Brendan and emphasized how wonderful her experience in the hospital had been because of him. 

After a few weeks in hospice, our mom passed away peacefully. Before she passed, she made sure to communicate a list of people and places that we needed to be sure to thank after she left us. We couldn’t think of a more fitting tribute to our mom than for Brendan to be honored with a DAISY Award because an Extraordinary Nurse is exactly what he is!!