Lili Koszewski
December 2025
Lili
Koszewski
,
BSN, RN
PACU
Children's Minnesota
St. Paul
,
MN
United States
It has been three years since my little brother's near-death experience. Whenever my family discusses this traumatic event, the conversation about how amazing Lili, the RN with the pink hair, was always follows. In our eyes, Lili met each one of the REACH criteria.
In heightened emotions, comprehension often goes out the window. Anytime the doctors or specialists would leave the room, it only took a single look over to Lili for her to understand we needed her to explain what was going on. The way she articulated the state of his condition accurately yet compassionately was impeccable. Conveying difficult information clearly and compassionately is an art, and she has mastered it.
Lili showed advocacy for our family by ensuring we had a comfortable stay. She ensured we were connected with the Ronald McDonald Center and made sure we had enough meal tickets and parking passes. If there was a resource she thought we would benefit from, we had it. Though my brother was in his condition as a result of his own decision to take a drug, this did not make her any less empathetic to our family’s situation. Of course, as a nurse, it never should—but you never know.
My brother was sedated the whole time he was under her care, but you could tell she truly cared for him by her use of physical touch and the way she would talk to him.
Lili demonstrated “heartfelt” by establishing special connections with our family. We chatted about our shared background in social work, shared origins of Southern Wisconsin, and shared interest in astrology. My brother was about to turn 17 at the time, and she made the comment, “It makes sense that he’s a Leo… he’s so bulky and looks strong like a lion.” My parents got quite the kick out of this.
He proved this to be true when he woke up from sedation and started ripping out all of his tubes, taking 10+ employees to hold him down and re-sedate him. Needless to say, Lili was not surprised.
I wish we had recommended her for the DAISY Award sooner, but I also think that doing this three years later proves just how much her care truly meant to us. Children’s Minnesota is very lucky to have Lili and the exceptional care she provides to her patients.
In heightened emotions, comprehension often goes out the window. Anytime the doctors or specialists would leave the room, it only took a single look over to Lili for her to understand we needed her to explain what was going on. The way she articulated the state of his condition accurately yet compassionately was impeccable. Conveying difficult information clearly and compassionately is an art, and she has mastered it.
Lili showed advocacy for our family by ensuring we had a comfortable stay. She ensured we were connected with the Ronald McDonald Center and made sure we had enough meal tickets and parking passes. If there was a resource she thought we would benefit from, we had it. Though my brother was in his condition as a result of his own decision to take a drug, this did not make her any less empathetic to our family’s situation. Of course, as a nurse, it never should—but you never know.
My brother was sedated the whole time he was under her care, but you could tell she truly cared for him by her use of physical touch and the way she would talk to him.
Lili demonstrated “heartfelt” by establishing special connections with our family. We chatted about our shared background in social work, shared origins of Southern Wisconsin, and shared interest in astrology. My brother was about to turn 17 at the time, and she made the comment, “It makes sense that he’s a Leo… he’s so bulky and looks strong like a lion.” My parents got quite the kick out of this.
He proved this to be true when he woke up from sedation and started ripping out all of his tubes, taking 10+ employees to hold him down and re-sedate him. Needless to say, Lili was not surprised.
I wish we had recommended her for the DAISY Award sooner, but I also think that doing this three years later proves just how much her care truly meant to us. Children’s Minnesota is very lucky to have Lili and the exceptional care she provides to her patients.