Mark and I have been classmates in Cohort #4 and acquaintances in the hallways, but I got to see the real nurse when he took care of a friend of mine, which was the last week of her life.

Beverly was a nurse who had been diagnosed with small cell lung cancer – eight years after surviving breast cancer.

Bev was admitted to the Oncology with paralysis on 9/21/10. Mark was her nurse on 9/22 & 9/23. He treated her with the upmost respect, spoke to her like a nurse would speak to another nurse not like she was a patient that did not understand the disease process. At no time was Mark too busy to talk to her or accommodate the questions of the family.

During my conversation with Mark, I mentioned to him that 9/23 was Beverly’s birthday (and we all knew it was her last). He went out of his way on that morning and brought her a birthday cake from the bakery that was close to his home. He made her feel like the only patient he had that day. It meant so much to her family that he would o something that special for a “stranger”.

Bev died on 9/30 at a hospice facility and I made a promise to her that I would nominate Mark for the DAISY award and let The Christ Hospital know how much he touched Bev and her family during her short stay.