I was getting woken up at 6 am for blood draws, breathing treatments, and other things. I cannot fully wake without drinking coffee, but since you cannot order breakfast until 7 am I would struggle. I begged anyone who would listen for a cup of coffee in the morning. Most of the time I would have to wait for the kitchen to open. Damien was the nurse coming on duty at 7 am. I explained this to him and he immediately left and returned with a large cup of coffee and a cup full of sugar and creamer. This is when I first noticed his compassion. He went above and beyond his duties as a nurse that day.

In the afternoon I had a bloody nose. I wore oxygen and he said he would be right back. He brought a bottle of water and connected it to my oxygen tubing. After he did this I never had another bloody nose again. He was very attentive and always came when I rang the call bell. He always brought my medicine on time and made me feel like he really cared about my well-being. The next morning around 6:45 am I came out of the bathroom to a large cup of coffee a cup of sugar and creamer AND a newspaper. We had talked about the day before how I missed reading the newspaper. Damien was the most friendly and compassionate nurse I met during the entire hospital stay (10 days). I wish there were more nurses like him. Damien is deserving of this DAISY Award.