I nominate Melinda Green for the DAISY Award for the attentive, compassionate, tender-hearted service she rendered to me, my family and my late sister who passed. On a late Friday afternoon, I received a call from my father informing me that my sister had been taken to the hospital. While the news was disheartening, the family had grown accustomed to periodic calls like this over the 23 years that my sister lived with a liver transplant. Even though my sister's trips to doctors and hospitals were growing more frequent over the past few years, the duration of her stays were short-lived. She always battled to regain her health quickly and would return home much better than she had left. Little did we know that this trip would be different. Upon waking early Saturday morning, I prepared to call and check up on her when I noticed that I had 3 missed calls from one of my brothers. I immediately called him back. When he answered the phone, he told me my little sister, my only sister, was in a coma and they didn't think she was going to make it.

My whole world came crashing down! I could not even think straight. My husband got me on the next flight out of town, on my way to see my little sister. The plane could not travel fast enough. I had a very strong feeling that she had completed her mission here on earth and she was done fighting the fight. While I did not want to acknowledge this, I could not deny the feeling I had and so, reluctantly on the flight to Phoenix, I wrote my final goodbye letter to my little sis.

When I arrived at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital on Saturday early afternoon, my sister still remained in a deep coma in the ICU. When I walked in and saw her lying there with numerous machines all around her, a tube down her mouth breathing for her, I knew without a shadow of doubt that my stubborn little sister was done fighting the fight and was prepared to meet her maker. This ripped my heart out. Even though I believe in God and life hereafter, I was not ready to say an early goodbye to my little sis. I held her hand and talked to her a lot, in hopes she was hearing me.

That early evening the doctor pulled me and our other family members that were there into an office and told us that my sister had a deep-rooted infection in her legs, her blood was septic, and her organs were damaged. He explained that they were trying everything they possibly could to save her. However, he believed she would not make it. My world, my family's world yet again came crashing down on us.

In hoping for some sort of miracle, all of us were praying for her recovery. Instead of answering our prayers with divine intervention on her behalf, the Lord sent help for our family instead. Shortly after receiving the news from the doctor, we met Melinda as she began her shift as my sister's nurse, the final nurse that would care for her in this life. Melinda went way above and beyond the call of duty during our family's time of need. I am grateful that my sister was blessed to have a nurse that did not see her as a stat or a number, but as a human being who was still with us, albeit for a shorter-than-desired time. I felt that my sister had her undivided attention.

It was obvious that Melinda did not see us as just another annoying family. We were her patients whom she was entrusted with, dearest family members, holding onto the glimmer of hope of a miracle. Melinda tended to my sister regularly, rarely if ever leaving her side, and doing anything she could to make her comfortable. Melinda had us leave if sis had soiled herself, changing her regularly, letting her have her dignity even in those final hours. At one point, as Melinda was changing her, she asked my sister if she needed any more pain medicine and she gave a very slight nod. She shared this story with us after we came back into the room, giving us a small glimmer of hope.

Melinda spoke kindly and personably with us, sharing personal and special experiences with us. She talked of losing a brother earlier in the year and of her own mother being in an accident and in a coma when she was young. I still remember her telling us how her mom woke up remembering every word the nurses had spoken, reinforcing the hope and comfort in us that my sister may have the same experience; therefore being able to hear and recall what was spoken while in her coma.

We feel that Melinda put our family's needs before her own. This was manifested when early the next morning when the doctors arrived, assessed my sister's situation, and then shared the prognosis: the family could keep her on life support but she was not going to make it. During this time, while my family made the hardest decision of our lives of unplugging my sister's life support and completing her mission on earth, Melinda stayed beyond her shift to support us as we made the decision and completed the process of removing the tubes and machines.

As all the machines were turned off and removed from the room, Melinda came and held my hand, as I held my sister's hand and said my final goodbye to my dear sweet little sister. The respiratory therapist removed the breathing tube from her as she took her final breath and passed peacefully to her next life.

Melinda was there to comfort me, my mom and dad, and my brothers as we all came to grips that she was no longer with us, never taking notice that all of this was occurring well after her shift had ended. Melinda truly gave the gift of service, well beyond the call of duty. She was there with us that night, into the wee hours of the morning, and into the next morning. For this, I am eternally grateful. I have seen hundreds of nurses form many different cities and states as they have come and gone throughout my sister's 23 years since her liver transplant. Many of them were proficient, professional and caring. There has never been a nurse that stood out like Melinda did. The compassionate and tender-hearted service she rendered to my sister and my family will never be forgotten.

If I could give Melinda but one token of appreciation for her blessed service to me,my sister, and my family, it would be the gift of the DAISY Award. We love you Melinda! Thank you! Had you not been by my side, I don't know what I could have ever survived watching my one and only little sister die right before my eyes. Thank you for the compassion. Thank you for caring. Thank you for your love and support. You will never be forgotten.