On behalf of my family, I kindly ask you to consider the nurses of the ICU for the DAISY Award. My family has always preferred Liberty Hospital because of the great care we receive here. My mother's recent two-week hospitalization was not an exception. From the ED to PCU to ICU to 6 South to PCU then back to the ICU, she was in good hands, but the care and teamwork exhibited by the ICU were truly special.

The first thing noticed by the family was the environment. The halls and workspaces are clean and clear of clutter and people. The unit is quiet and soothing with low lighting to provide rest for patients. We know that Mom rested better in the ICU than in any other place in the hospital. This is due to a concentrated effort from the staff to ensure that the unit stays a peaceful, healing environment for their patients and families.

When it comes to the nursing care Mom received in the ICU, I am not sure I can put into words how wonderful it was or how grateful my family is for the nurses who cared for Mom until her last breath. Every nurse we encountered in the ICU explained what they were doing, what tests had been ordered, her results, what doctors had said during rounds, and anything else the family asked or wanted to know. It didn't matter what time of day it was or if they had explained it to another family member already. They gave timely, professional, compassionate care to my Mom and the rest of my family.

The night of my Mom's death, when her blood pressure plummeted, I saw some of the best nursing teamwork in my career. Her nurse came to the room immediately and started addressing the situation. Another nurse appeared to help Mom's nurse stabilize her. Another nurse appeared at the door to advise that she had called Kim in palliative care, and another nurse had called Dr. Ferraro to come to the bedside immediately. Yet another nurse came down the hall with an IV pole and pump that she knew was going to be needed. All I could do was sit and watch them in awe. They were calm, confident, and were moving as a unit, often wordlessly. It was as if someone had choreographed a beautiful dance of nursing care.

If someone asked my family to describe the nurses of ICU, we would tell them that they are nurses who work together to provide excellent care, who aren't afraid to ask the hard questions of patients and families, who actively listen to patients and families, who ask doctors questions to facilitate their learning and to give the best care to their patients, who make sure patients and family members get what they need, who have turned rounding on patients and families into an art form, who provide much-needed comfort and laughter, who help families come to terms with patients' wishes and their condition, who give hugs and console families, and who sit with their patients while holding their hands as they cry. Most importantly, they are nurses who let patients die with dignity and on their own terms. It isn't easy to be a nurse, but the nurses in ICU do it with aplomb.