Megan received my dad in the ICU when he was brought in at night in severe septic shock. I got the call that no daughter ever wants to hear: that I needed to get on a plane immediately to see my dad. I arrived at the hospital by 6am. Megan met me and was my first point of contact regarding the situation. As the shift changed and the day’s doctors did their rounds, I learned that my dad was the sickest person in the ICU. He was maxed out on all four pressors. The doctor told me it was a miracle he survived the night and to get his loved ones in to say goodbye that day. He made it through the day, and Megan was his nurse again that night. Under her care, he made miraculous strides again, and each day he was brought down on pressors.

He was in the ICU on life support for 5 weeks, and Megan was his nurse every time she was on shift. I was also in the ICU every day, and I saw my dad receive exceptional 1:1 care from around a dozen truly incredible nurses, but Megan was in a league of her own.

Whenever my dad was in Megan’s care, he made improvements that doctors repeatedly described as miraculous. Megan is meticulous, compassionate, and brilliant. She is truly gifted at the art of medicine. When she was on duty, my dad looked so clean and cozy. All of the wires of his many complex machines were organized, and alarms didn’t sound as often under Megan’s care. She wrangled a very sensitive CVVH dialysis machine and managed my dad’s multiple IV ports and chest tubes better than any other nurse who worked with him.

After 5 weeks in the ICU, my father unfortunately passed away. In spite of exceptional care, he was hit by wave after wave of infection and could not recover. He communicated his decision to be taken off life support to me, and we honored his choice. The doctors agreed. Megan was not working when it was time, but she learned that we were doing it and came in to be in his room with us as he passed.

From the bottom of my heart, I know that if Megan hadn’t been there the night that my dad was brought in, he would have passed before I even arrived in DC. Because of Megan, I had 5 weeks to spend with my dad, caring for him and connecting with him. We shared an overture of our entire lifetime together, and he got to see every day how much I love him.

Because of Megan, my dad was as comfortable in his critical condition as he could have possibly been. She gave him the best possible chance of surviving. And she practiced amazing medicine while also being kind and caring toward me and my dad’s loved ones. She never lied to me about the precariousness of my dad’s situation, but she still fought tirelessly to save his life every shift for five weeks.

I just learned about the DAISY Award tonight, and I had to nominate Megan immediately because I’m grateful to her every day. Thank you for the opportunity to nominate Megan and for honoring nurses. My experience in the ICU has left me in awe of nurses. They are truly the beating heart of medical care and deserve strong support and applause.