I would like to nominate Michelle Elden for going above and beyond to give compassionate end-of-life care to a patient and her mom. The patient was admitted after a traumatic event. During the month and a half the patient was in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), the mother experienced the loss of her partner and was told that her daughter’s brain damage was permanent and severe. Eventually, the mother chose to proceed with organ donation. Due to social complexities, the mother had very little support from family and had a difficult time connecting with staff. Michelle was the patient’s nurse the day of and the day prior to the scheduled DCD organ donation. Michelle established a rapport with the mother; she ensured that the mother ate and drank, and encouraged her to lay in bed with her daughter. Michelle created a calm atmosphere and advocated for uninterrupted quality time between the patient and her mother. Also, Michelle took the time to complete additional memory-making, using the mother's and daughter’s thumbprints together.

On the day of scheduled organ donation, Michelle stayed several hours past her 12-hour shift to accompany the mother and patient to the operating room. Ninety minutes after extubation, the patient’s heart was still beating; therefore, making her ineligible for donation. Michelle stayed with the mother as they went back to the patient’s room in the PICU and transitioned to palliative care. The compassion, advocacy, empathy, and care that Michelle gave were a beautiful portrayal of the art of nursing.