My boyfriend was in a tragic accident this weekend and lost his life. From the moment we arrived in the ICU, this nurse displayed compassion and genuine support. You could tell she wasn’t working for a paycheck but that she truly cared for him. She went above and beyond in multiple ways: she mentioned that she could paint his hands and give us his handprint on a canvas. She brought over paint colors and asked which color we’d like - I then asked, "do you have any orange?" She said she didn’t think so, but a few moments later, she came in with orange paint and made five handprints for us. She asked many times if we wanted more or if there was anything she could do. She then, with no hesitation, printed out his heartbeat, rolled the paper up, and tied a bow on them. She printed more than we needed. She also let us record his heartbeat. More family showed up and she offered to pull his heartbeat up and let us take however long we needed to record. This nurse also showed her compassion by picking up two extra shifts in a row so that she could comfort us during these difficult times. After experiencing ICU with this nurse, I have a whole new outlook on nurses.  She provided not only care but comfort for us. She truly went above and beyond for him, and I cannot thank her enough. 

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This nurse has always been the most empathetic nurse, even in the toughest situations, even when her personal life was struggling, and even when she was juggling her own health battles. 

On this particular day though, we say she was doing what she does best, and that’s advocating for not only her patient but also their family. She had an unfortunate patient who, due to a terrible accident, was now brain dead, however, with the opportunity to donate life to other people waiting for a miracle. She developed a rapport with the family and willingly picked up two extra shifts so she could continue to care for their loved one and not cause them more distress with a different care team every day. Her skills of advocation really showed through when she organized through multiple means of communication and advocating (while also caring at the bedside for this patient) an honor walk, which is routinely done for donation patients; however, this one was entirely made up of this patients loved ones and coworkers who were like family to this special patient. 

This family was so grateful for having this nurse, even on one of the worst days of their lives. Little does this family know the work she had to do behind the scenes to make this happen. Never once did she take no for an answer. She knew in her heart what was best to do for this patient who served our community and country. In a way, she was able to help this community pay their respects before this patient left Earthside and donated a piece of himself to help others, which it seemed he had done for his whole life. 

I know she was honored to be able to honor this patient and their family. I, too am thankful to know her and to experience this unique level of compassion. She goes above and beyond for her patients daily and I am so proud of the nurse she is and the values she upholds which make everyone around her want to do and become better. She is beyond deserving of this DAISY Award for the difference she makes in her patients’ and co-workers' lives daily.