From her accountability and helpfulness as a charge nurse, to her excellence in providing care to a variety of patients, Gina Tiu is a registered nurse that I admire and emulate. She continually shows compassion to her patients and co-workers and it is not unusual to see her walking and visiting with a lonely patient in the wee hours of the morning or organizing a pot-luck for a new mom-to-be on staff. She participates in the Unit Based Council and makes suggestions for improvements in patient care while respecting others' opinions. She is often one of the first nurses on the unit to champion a change in practice, quickly becoming a unit expert. She embodies all of the characteristics of a DAISY Award Honoree, but one specific shift I worked with her stands out in my mind when Gina went above and beyond to provide really exceptional care.

It was Valentine's day, and like most holidays, a difficult night to spend in the hospital (for the patients and employees). When we arrived for our shift, 3 dozen yellow roses were in a container of water at the central desk. Soon after we arrived, Gina announced that she had brought them in for us to distribute to our patients (we have 32 beds on our unit). We were all floored by her thoughtfulness and generosity, but the real reward came later that night.

I was taking care of patient with ALS who had been told during this stay that he would never be able to eat real food again due to the risk of aspiration. When I spent some time visiting with him at the start of our time together, he expressed extreme sadness and frustration with the news. I told him that I would be back with something that I thought would cheer him up. I went to get a rose and when I walked back into his room, his face lit up as if he had just won the lottery! It was such a joy to be able to brighten my patient's night because of something Gina had thought of and done. Each other patient that received a rose that night was grateful, but the first patient's response was really exceptional.