I am a week out from being discharged after a 26-day stay at your hospital. I wish to nominate my nurse, Mackenzie Churn Findlay, for the DAISY Award. She is not a single daisy or even a bouquet. She was like a field of daisies; it was a breath of sunshine when she entered the room. She was a bouquet of compassion, kindness, generosity and professionalism.

During my stay, she challenged herself to pick up extra shifts, and I was the benefactor of that challenge. She was my nurse for most of my day or night shift stay. Most people who work that many shifts would be tired and grumpy, but not Mackenzie. She was cheerful and always there to help. I still have no idea how she was able to be so upbeat.

I was facing a possible cancer diagnosis, and in my 68 years of life, I had never been so vulnerable or scared. The care and compassion I received were unlike anything I have ever experienced as a patient. Mackenzie was there to get me through not one but two cancer scares. When the doctors would stop by, Mackenzie was always there to help me understand what was going on after they left and could explain the situation to my wife when she came to visit.

This fantastic nurse held my hand while I cried, made me laugh while prepping for procedures, and made me smile while having to draw blood for the 25th time. There are no words I can express to the committee about how incredible this young woman is. She turned the most terrifying experience of my life into a situation I could handle.