In my view, Kim was the single most important person in saving my son’s life. She was there from the minute W and I arrived in the ICU, and she didn’t leave his side from 7:30 am until 7 pm. I don’t think she went to the bathroom or got a drink of water in those nearly 12 hours. In the meantime, she constantly monitored his vital signs, continuously and seamlessly adjusted his medications, and most importantly to me, she communicated calmly, clearly and effectively through every step of the scariest day ever. She could interpret every beep of the terrifying monitors for us, explain the process and the substance of what we were learning about W’s condition, and let us know when we might get answers from the doctors and which doctors might be able to give us the answers to our most pressing questions. She also somehow miraculously knew when I most needed a hug. (And I really don’t usually hug people I just met.)

Our son was admitted to the ICU with myocarditis and pericarditis, which were words I learned for the first time in the ER in the middle of the night in Naples, where we live. After an incredibly stressful two plus hour ambulance ride to St. Petersburg, we arrived at 7:30 am in the morning. We found several people waiting for us immediately inside the doors to the hospital, who directed us up to the pediatric cardiology ICU. We did not have to wait anywhere, not even for a minute; we went immediately into the room that had been prepared specifically for us. When we arrived, we were greeted by more people than we could count or make sense of, but we immediately knew we were in the best hands we could imagine. Kim was there first and foremost, making us feel like we were safe, or as safe as we could be, at an overwhelmingly scary moment. While we are very fortunate that our son made a speedy recovery, and we felt immense gratitude to be discharged within 5 days of our arrival, I believe that we would have recognized that everyone in the ICU did everything humanly possible even if the outcome had been different. (At this moment, I believe our son has made a speedy recovery, though I recognize that we may not fully know this for six months or longer.) We heard words that first day like “heart failure” and “heart transplant” that we never imagined we would hear applied to our child. He had been a perfectly healthy child for 16 years. How could this be happening?

On that first day, we had to face the possibility that our previously healthy son might die. Kim was there to reassure us through the entire terrifying day. Her presence, the sound of her voice, the words she used, carefully chosen and never a word wasted, communicated verbally and non-verbally that we should have absolute confidence that anything and everything that could be done to help W was being done. She was so calm, it almost seemed that she transferred her sense of calm to us. Kim inspired our trust from the minute we walked in the door.

I knew by the time we were discharged that I would write this nomination for Kim to receive the DAISY Award. I knew I had to share this story of the exceptional care that we received. Honestly, this is the best-run hospital we have ever set foot in, and the level of care that we received from all of the nurses on this floor was exceptional. This hospital stay has changed many of my negative stereotypes about hospitals generally. Even in this exceptional crowd, Kim stands out. Please share our thanks with all of W’s nurses. They are all heroes to us.

Note: This is Kim's 2nd DAISY Award!