Julie was my husband’s nurse while we were waiting to be listed for a liver transplant. She was with us from 2014 to April 2022 when he gained his wings. To say that she had an impact on our family is an understatement! The road to transplant is filled with so many obstacles and very scary moments. Yet, Julie was always a phone call away to help us navigate each step. My husband was considered “complex” and was officially listed in February of 2018. After almost getting to transplant surgery, he had a GI Bleed in July of 2018. We almost lost him, but by God’s grace and the awesome care of the doctors and nurses at UofM, he pulled through. From then on, we fought through so many trials as we tried to get him relisted on the transplant list as we had three possible, loving donors! Julie was ALWAYS a fountain of knowledge, and her compassion kept both of us looking positive in all of it. I called her a few times in tears because I was battling insurance, or when my husband was having more medical issues. Each time I NEVER felt like she was “just doing her job.” She was just as invested in getting him to transplant as I was. She was my saving grace so many times over the last few years. My three kids also know exactly who I am talking about whenever I say “I need to call Julie”. If they noticed something was not right with their dad, they would call me and say, “You need to call Julie!” When COVID hit, the stress became almost unbearable whenever he had to be admitted since I couldn’t be there with him. I never heard her talk negatively of any of her colleagues or co-workers. Even when I was so frustrated that the surgeon wouldn’t take a chance on my husband. She carefully and very kindly talked me through his thought process and helped me understand his perspective. I also called her at times while my husband was an inpatient because there are so many different doctors and teams that it becomes so overwhelming! She is just a wonderful and compassionate soul, and she made a very difficult time much easier to navigate.

There is so much more to my husband’s story, and not enough space on this form, but please consider Julie for the DAISY Award! It has been a year since we lost him, but we had a tremendous “tribe” walking alongside us through this journey. I can never repay all of the kindness shown to us, but I am going to keep paying it forward. Instead of focusing on the terrible shock of his death, I am focusing on paying it forward during this time to honor his memory and our 32 years together! Because of Julie, I know I was able to have a few more years with my husband.