...During my son's two day stay, John was our day nurse. All of my son's nurses did a great job, but John went above and beyond his call of duty. When we got to the hospital we knew that we were going to be faced with a difficult decision to treat my son, who is suffering from Crohn's disease, with an aggressive medication that we had been against using. His pain was worsening and we were up against a wall. My husband and I had to talk to our 10 year old son, who was in terrible pain, and make the decision to put a medication into his body that we didn't know whether it would help or harm him in the long run. I was an emotional wreck.

John took the time to make sure we were comfortable. If we had any questions, he either answered or made sure to find out. He researched the disease and the nutritional side of the flare ups. He printed out numerous copies of information for us to help further educate us about the disease and the treatment he was about to administer to our son. When my son was in pain, John showed that he genuinely cared and was right by my son's side. Even when it wasn't time for pain medicine, John would be there for emotional support. When we ordered meals, John saw that we were ordering some foods that could contribute to my son's flare ups and were not part of a diet he should have been eating at the time. He got on the phone and called a nutritionist to come and talk to us and help us understand the good and bad items he should or shouldn't be eating. On a personal note, when my son was bored he offered to take him to the "Hangout" on the Peds floor on his free time.

It means a lot to me when someone takes the time to care about my family in a way that not only a nurse would but that a friend would. We were only there two days, but all of us felt a connection to John, he became a family friend. When I left to go downstairs or to the store, I wanted John to know I was gone because I knew he would keep an eye on my son and take care of any needs he would have in my absence. When my son was in pain, he wanted to make sure that John knew what was going on with him.

I told my husband that I wanted to do something special for John when we left and on my way to the cafeteria I saw the DAISY Award nomination form. I couldn't think of anyone, in the many times my family has been at Mercy Children's, that deserved this award more than John. I don't know if I captured everything wonderful about our interaction with John, but as I write this my heart is full of gratitude and I want to make sure I communicate this.