Haley was my brother’s daytime nurse during his first few days in the ICU. He is here after an attempt to take his own life, suffering a GSW to the head, so he is heavily sedated and on life support. Haley was the kindest soul I have ever met, and was always checking to make sure me and my family were okay, if we needed anything, and would always answer any questions we had and never made us feel silly or dumb for asking the questions. She would always answer in ways that we understood. She treated my brother as if he was awake and alert. She would talk to him and explain everything she was doing to him while she was doing it and always call him by his name. She is the epitome of what a good nurse should be, and I will be forever thankful for her. The first few days my brother was in the ICU were some of the hardest days of my life, but I’m glad she was there to shine some of her light on us.

I could not be more grateful for Haley. She is one of the most compassionate and caring people I have ever met. On my brother’s last day of life, she constantly checked on us, kept us updated on everything going on, and made sure we got little mementos. My brother was an organ donor, so the process of taking him off life support revolved around organ donation. It was all a lot to process, but she made sure we were informed of everything and understood what was going on. She made sure we could have special last moments with him.

I was immensely thankful for her the first couple of days he was there when she was his nurse and for that last day, but I truly realized just how amazing she was in his last moments. I walked with my brother and the team to the operating room doors, and as I said my final goodbyes, she gave me comfort I will remember for the rest of my life.

Losing my baby brother (he was only 20) has been one of the hardest things I have ever experienced, but I knew with Haley that he was always in good hands. It’s hard to put into words exactly how thankful I am for all of her kindness and hard work. She is truly dedicated to what she does. Even if, for some reason, she doesn’t receive a DAISY from my nomination, I hope the person who reads this will express my gratitude to her and those words she gave me at the OR doors and how much strength they gave me. If everyone was a little more like her, the world would be a better place, and the world is already a better place with her in it. Thank you, Haley, for everything.

In addition to this, I’d also like to express my gratitude to the ICU staff as a whole. Every single nurse was so kind and so amazing. It has been such a hard situation, and I couldn’t imagine how much harder it would have been without such a wonderful group of nurses. I don’t have enough words to express how much I appreciate their hard work and compassion. And thank you to the entire team in the TICU. Not once did I meet someone who was unkind or uncaring. I am eternally grateful.