I have been a mother for over ten years to two amazing children. I know everyone says that, but honestly, they're amazing. During these past ten years there have been many bumps and bruises, and the night of December 15, 2014 would prove to be one of the biggest scares in all my years of being a mother. What started as a tiny rug burn on my son's knee, ended up being a full body rash that later we found out was a staph infection.

All I knew in the moments before rushing him to the emergency room was that he was in the most intense pain his little body has ever felt. He wasn't lethargic, but he wasn't himself, and I had that nasty gut feeling all of us get as parents from time to time. He was covered from his legs to his armpits in a rash that was weeping, and spreading before our very eyes. I was terrified that he was going to end up spending the night in the hospital, or be sent home on IV antibiotics and take a turn for the worse, or that I would not know how to take care of him, or that he could possibly even die.

We encountered several wonderful nurses, doctors, and support staff during the hours my son was a patient in the emergency room, but one person stands out. That person is Danielle McLinn. She was the nurse that took care of my little guy up until we were discharged home.

Danielle is a nurse that absolutely loves her job, and the comfort she instills in her patients is living proof. I forgot to mention that my son is only four years old, and she instilled enough trust in him to allow her to do her job accurately and proficiently. She spoke with my son, not at my son, but with my son, with everything that she did. When she would come into the room to discuss anything, she made sure to sit next to him and include him in our conversations. She spoke in a language that allowed a small child to understand as much as they possibly can about what was going on. For instance, sensing how uncomfortable he was about undressing for a strange man that was a doctor, but in his mind a complete stranger, and a scary stranger for that matter, she asked my son if he could moon the doctor. My son happily obliged, and even giggled about it. Over a month later, and he's still talking about showing a doctor his butt. I know she could sense the reluctance in my son when it came time to swab his open sores to figure out what exactly was going on. So instead of telling him she was going to rub an area on his body that was already throbbing in pain, she told him she was going to spread magic on his body to see if it would help him feel better. When it came time to start an IV and do his blood draw, she told him she was going to put a straw in his arm, so his arm could drink the medicine he needed. He told her he felt like rocks were in his arms, so when she was filling up vials of blood for his labs, she had him watch for rocks in the vials. It sounds silly, but that was very comforting to my son. He trusted Danielle so much that he didn't even have to be restrained for his IV start and blood draw. She continued to talk to him during the process, and managed to keep his attention off of the pain; only a few tears were shed on his part, but no temper tantrum. That in itself is truly amazing! My son is typically a hypochondriac, and will cry and throw a massive fit over the tiniest of scrapes, but the fact that this nurse was able to stick a needle in his arm with no fighting and minimal tears, amazes me.

Danielle not only treated my son, but she treated the entire family. She kept us all at ease. She never entered the room unprepared. She always came with all the supplies she needed, so there was never any having to leave the room to grab things. She spoke slowly, calm, and clear, and had answers to every question I had. Not only is her bedside manner outstanding, but her knowledge for her job is out of this world! She knew how long test results would take, side effects for all the different medications my son was receiving, and about how long it would take his open sores to heal and what they would look like while healing. I know this sounds clich, but Danielle really was my rock during the few hours my son was in her care, and I am so thankful he was lucky enough to have such a warm-hearted person for his nurse.

I would like to nominate Danielle for the DAISY Award because I feel like her compassion and love for her profession reflects off of her and makes her patients feel not only comfort, but also love. She took my son under her wing on the night of December 15th, and made him feel nothing but warmth and comfort, during a time he was scared and in immense physical pain. She made him part of his treatment plan. I haven't met many nurses that would do that with a four year old. It's been over a month, and he still will talk about things Danielle said to him. She didn't just treat the rash that was spreading all over his body; she treated an individual circumstance, and personalized his care based on his reactions to everything going on. She helped my family deal with the anxiety of not knowing exactly what was going on with our child, and let us know that no matter what the outcome of the night was going to be, he was going to be okay in the end. Thank you Danielle McLinn for the wonderful care you gave my son back in December, it will never be forgotten. You really are an amazing nurse!