Kayla is a kind, smart, compassionate, and empathetic nurse. There are not enough adjectives to describe this young nurse. She is a modern-day Florence Nightingale. Earlier this week, my family was faced with one of the hardest things any family could ever encounter. Our beloved "Y," a Registered Nurse as well, was involved in a fatal accident on Tuesday. By the time she was brought to NSICU, she was already brain dead. We needed time to process this sudden and shocking event before the withdrawal of life support. Kayla was her nurse on Thursday and again on Friday when she was taken off life support. In our grief, we watched Kayla gently and tenderly attend to "Y." I saw her tuck in the Foley tubing under the blankets to keep it out of view; such a small gesture meant a lot to me. I'm sure she never imagined I noticed. I came in that Friday morning planning to give her a bath so that she would pass on with dignity. There was no need to because Kayla and the rest of the staff kept her pristine. Kayla's compassion shone through when the kids (11 & 13-year-olds) came to say their final goodbye. Unbeknownst to her, they had not been adequately prepared by their Dad – understandably so. They had so many questions and wanted to talk to Kayla privately. She gently explained to them what was going on, answered their numerous questions, held them, cried with them, and comforted them. They wrote a letter to their Mom and made her promise to read it to her. Through tears, Kayla read that letter just prior to the withdrawal of life support. I was really touched when Kayla, the nurse manager, other nurses, and Dr. "L" (intensivist) held a moment of silence for "Y"-- "one of their own." "Y" was a nurse and was supposed to graduate from the Nurse Practitioner program the day she was taken off life support. I am therefore nominating Kayla for "The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses." Kayla exemplifies the true essence of a nurse. No award is enough to show our depth of gratitude towards her. I also want to sincerely thank the entire staff of NSICU, UNC Hospital, and Dr. "L" for taking such great care of "Y." It wasn't the outcome any of us wanted, but at least you made sure she died with dignity. Heaven has gained an angel! Thank you.