Members of the certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) team gathered to recognize one of their own with the DAISY Award for Nursing Excellence, only to learn that the award honoree couldn’t be there quite yet. Brian Shannon was with a patient undergoing an open heart procedure. When he arrived to his DAISY Awards ceremony a bit later, he was apologetic for keeping his teammates waiting. Our Director stated to him, “The DAISY is presented in deep appreciation of all you do, who you are and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.”

One of those people was the daughter of coworker. She wrote of how Brian’s compassionate care during preparations for a procedure put her anxious daughter at ease. "She has many health issues that cause her to have a high level of pain at all times, a racing heart rate and incredibly high anxiety, to name a few. She had also been inpatient a few months prior and they had so much trouble getting an IV started that she was terrified. Her Nurse tried to start the IV but she couldn't get it. In came Brian, Nurse Anesthetist. From the moment he walked into my daughter's room, you could feel his calming presence. My daughter has sensory issues and loud noises and bright lights bother her greatly. He spoke softly and explained every single thing he was doing to my daughter and asked if she had any questions after every step he did. He was able to work in dim light, as to not cause any more issues for my daughter. I could not imagine Brian taking care of his own family any better than he took care of my daughter."