Mariah took care of me on the first two nights of my admission to the Neuro Critical Care Unit. I got married and the next day I was admitted to the ICU after finding a blood clot in my brain and experiencing stroke symptoms. What should have been a night of packing for my Cancun honeymoon quickly became one of the scariest nights for me.

I remember being in and out of it the first night, waking up crying a lot. Mariah showed me compassion all night, taking time to explain what was going on. I woke up crying, not knowing where I was, and crying out for my new husband. Mariah immediately came into my room and comforted me. She came back the next night and took care of me again. This night I was more with it, and my symptoms were starting to drastically improve.

I remember her being happy with my progress, saying she was glad to see me move my left side better and that she was really worried about me the night before. This night, I was able to see how detailed her assessments were. As a previous ICU nurse, I knew she was being very thorough. Mariah showed me the care that I strive to provide each one of my own patients. In what was supposed to be some of the happiest days of my life, I was comforted knowing that I was being so well taken care of. Mariah exemplified what it means to be a DAISY Nurse: a kind, sensitive, comforting nurse who goes above and beyond because she is just doing her job. It takes a certain kind of soul to be a compassionate nurse like this, and I believe Mariah is the perfect example.