We want to nominate this nurse for the DAISY Award because she is a phenomenal Nurse! Our son was in the Pediatric ICU for injuries sustained in a dirt bike accident and was blessed to have this nurse as his nurse for several days. Nominating her for the DAISY Award is just a small way to say thank you and to let her know how much we appreciate her care. We will never forget her and want to share our story of how she impacted our lives.

Our son broke his back, and we were initially told that he was permanently paralyzed from the waist down. After a 7.5 hour surgery, his neurosurgeon stated that he had never seen such a dramatic change in and that we have witnessed something that was short of a miracle, In fact, our son was able to stand up and walk a few steps the same day he got out of surgery. The whole situation was an emotional roller coaster for us all.

The reason she is an excellent nurse is because of the way she related to and interacted with our son. She was always smiling and positive. She was always encouraging H by telling him, "You've got this!" She would challenge him when things got difficult. She was tremendously caring and gentle, like when she tediously washed his hair with washcloths and a comb. She often teased our son with friendly banter. She knew how to read his demeanor and was not afraid to question him when it came to discussing his pain levels. She was very attentive, helpful, and knowledgeable. She was someone who he felt comfortable talking to. Our son is not the most talkative person, so it was very important to have a nurse who could encourage him to communicate his needs and feelings.

We are so blessed to have her as our nurse at the beginning of my son's hospitalization. As fate would have it 12 days later, we were fortunate enough to have her as our nurse when our son was discharged. How appropriate! We cannot thank her enough. We will never forget her and the impact she has had on our lives!