February 2026 Honoree
Corinna Rodriguez, BSN, RN
I would like to recognize Corinna, my labor and delivery nurse, for the extraordinary clinical skill, advocacy, and compassion she showed me during one of the most vulnerable and high-risk experiences of my life.
I came into labor 1.5 weeks post-op from ankle surgery, non-weight-bearing and in significant pain. I also had preeclampsia and was on magnesium, labetalol, Pitocin, and an epidural. I was exhausted, scared, and honestly had planned to request a C-section because I couldn’t imagine laboring safely with a broken ankle.
When my original nurse and I weren’t a good fit, I asked to switch, and I was assigned Corinna. That change truly altered the course of my birth. Corinna immediately made me feel safe and listened to. She handled my injured ankle carefully, moved me gently, and treated me like a whole person. Not just a patient in a bed. She stayed present with me instead of in and out of the room, and her calm, steady presence grounded me when everything felt overwhelming.
During my labor, I had blood pressure drops, was on magnesium, and my baby had heart rate decelerations. My doctor left for an emergency C-section with the plan to come back and possibly take me to the OR next. While the doctor was gone, Corinna closely monitored my baby, adjusted my Pitocin safely, and trusted her clinical judgment to give my body time instead of escalating unnecessarily. Her vigilance and experience mattered.
When things suddenly progressed very quickly, she never left my side. I remember when things started escalating quickly, I looked up and told her, “No, do not leave the room; you stay with me,” and she did. She physically supported me, held my leg (while I protected my surgical one), and helped me through an extremely fast pushing stage. I delivered my baby vaginally in about 15 minutes.
My son is turning 2 this May, and this experience and Corinna's care have been close to my heart for the past 2 years. I am tearing up just writing this. Because of her skill and advocacy, I avoided a second major surgery while still healing from my first. She protected both my recovery and my birth experience.
Corinna didn’t just provide medical care; she carried me, reassured me, advocated for me, and made me feel safe at a time when I truly needed someone steady. I will never forget her, and I genuinely believe my outcome could have been very different without her. She is exactly the kind of nurse the DAISY Award was created to honor.
Thank you.
I came into labor 1.5 weeks post-op from ankle surgery, non-weight-bearing and in significant pain. I also had preeclampsia and was on magnesium, labetalol, Pitocin, and an epidural. I was exhausted, scared, and honestly had planned to request a C-section because I couldn’t imagine laboring safely with a broken ankle.
When my original nurse and I weren’t a good fit, I asked to switch, and I was assigned Corinna. That change truly altered the course of my birth. Corinna immediately made me feel safe and listened to. She handled my injured ankle carefully, moved me gently, and treated me like a whole person. Not just a patient in a bed. She stayed present with me instead of in and out of the room, and her calm, steady presence grounded me when everything felt overwhelming.
During my labor, I had blood pressure drops, was on magnesium, and my baby had heart rate decelerations. My doctor left for an emergency C-section with the plan to come back and possibly take me to the OR next. While the doctor was gone, Corinna closely monitored my baby, adjusted my Pitocin safely, and trusted her clinical judgment to give my body time instead of escalating unnecessarily. Her vigilance and experience mattered.
When things suddenly progressed very quickly, she never left my side. I remember when things started escalating quickly, I looked up and told her, “No, do not leave the room; you stay with me,” and she did. She physically supported me, held my leg (while I protected my surgical one), and helped me through an extremely fast pushing stage. I delivered my baby vaginally in about 15 minutes.
My son is turning 2 this May, and this experience and Corinna's care have been close to my heart for the past 2 years. I am tearing up just writing this. Because of her skill and advocacy, I avoided a second major surgery while still healing from my first. She protected both my recovery and my birth experience.
Corinna didn’t just provide medical care; she carried me, reassured me, advocated for me, and made me feel safe at a time when I truly needed someone steady. I will never forget her, and I genuinely believe my outcome could have been very different without her. She is exactly the kind of nurse the DAISY Award was created to honor.
Thank you.
Thank you, Corinna, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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