Most people notice and praise the work a nurse or other health care professional does when they are in a short term situation. A patient in the ER, ICU or inpatient floor may be there for a brief time and be given lifesaving advice and help. Patients are grateful as it may have been the first time they experienced the hospital setting, were scared and glad to have survived. To them these professionals are the greatest people in the world. To me, Jill Simaras is one of the greatest people in the world.

Jill has been my nurse for about 12 years now. When I first met Jill she was my Cystic Fibrosis nurse and I was a frightened patient starting the journey of lung transplant. She is now my coordinator and I am an 8 year post transplant patient. Jill has shared many special, difficult and scary moments with me. She has been a constant anchor holding me steady throughout many a storm.

Jill lives and breathes her job as lung transplant coordinator. She has not just been in my life for one moment of the time when I needed urgent care but she has been around for many years helping keep me alive. Jill acts quickly and accurately in sick times to get me the care I need, she is there with a hug and a smile to help celebrate the good moments in my life and there with a laugh or a tissue to help wipe my tears when it feels like there is no hope.

Jill's knowledge goes beyond compare when it comes to transplant. She has been with this program and has helped it become what it is today. When I call her for advice I know I can trust her to take my concerns to the physician in order for them to work as a team. Jill is a pivotal part of the program. I depend on her as my main point of contact when care is needed and she has never let me down in all these years. Her dedication, service and care for her patients is evident in every phone contact, clinic visit and hospital stay. She is there every step of the way.

Recently I had been hospitalized for pneumonia and was on medical leave from work for several weeks. Upon return to work I had been bitten in the hand by my dog. I was in for a follow up appointment with my doctor and he was concerned about the recent dog bite. He asked Jill to work "her magic" so I could get seen by a specialist while not having to miss any more work- and she did. She got in touch with one of her contacts and immediately got me an appointment with a hand specialist. In short she helped prevent infection, serious complications and no more time away from work that week which could have jeopardized my job. This is just one of the many examples where Jill came through for me and I know she does it for all of her patients on a regular basis.

Jill's compassion, nursing skill and commitment to her patients year after year makes her an excellent candidate for the DAISY Award. She has done so much to help me throughout my life's journey that I want to thank her with this very special award.