I would like to nominate James Waters for the DAISY Award for January. James started with us as an agency RN and demonstrated a warmth and professionalism that endeared him to both the patients and the staff. I would like to share a story with you about James and hopefully you will understand why I feel he deserves the DAISY Award.

James works the night shift, 7am to 7pm. He has developed a special attachment to our oncology patients and we will often hear about how wonderful he is from our patients. One patient’s story illustrates the care James provides his patients. Jim had an elderly oncology patient who was having severe back pain. After James left, the patient raved about James telling both the doctor and the nurses about how wonderful James was and how he got such great pain relief after James took the time to rub the patient’s back during the night. That is just a small piece of what James does during his shifts.

The story that really struck me was a scenario that I witnessed first hand. James had a young myeloma patient who was dying. The woman had been with us for a few years off and on, struggling with the disease that stole so much of her time and energy. James had had Sharon* (not her real name) for a few nights and knew that she was not going to live much longer. He spent time with both the patient and her mother, reassuring them that she would not be in any pain or discomfort. He talked to her about her dogs and his dogs, making her laugh in spite of her situation. The last night of her life, James had encouraged her mother to go home and rest and promised to call if things got worse. Sharon was no longer alert and had slipped into a pre-death coma but she had told James that she was very afraid of dying alone. James promised her that he would not leave her side until her mother arrived and he held to that promise, despite the fact that his shift had ended.

I came in to see Sharon as she was a patient whom I had cared for the past few years. James had asked if he could please stay with Sharon until her mother arrived. He explained to me that he had promised Sharon that he would not leave her. He had come in all throughout the night and held her hand, told her she was going to be okay and was going to that “better place”, as they had talked about before. James sat and talked to Sharon, despite her coma, and held her hand while we waited for her mother to arrive. When her mother arrived, James gave her mother a hug, gave Sharon a kiss on the forehead, said his good-byes and left. Sharon died a few hours later, peacefully, surrounded by her family.