Beaufort Memorial Hospital nurse Morgan Lotz didn't think anything of it when the children of a dying patient asked permission to bring their mother's longtime companion to her room to say goodbye. Never mind the visitor was a scruffy old dog. "The dog meant the world to her," Lotz said. "They wanted their mother to spend the last moments of her life with her best friend." Lotz made a couple of phone calls and cleared the way for the unusual four-legged visitor.

Although the patient was unconscious, her daughter laid the dog, named Maddie, on the bed next to her mother. "It was so sweet," Lotz recalled. "The dog rested its head on the patient's chest and just laid there quietly. It was a very emotional moment for the family."

In appreciation of her kindness, the patient's family recently gave Lotz a framed print of a wolf, part of a collection of Native American artwork owned by their mother. "I was very surprised when it was presented to me," Lotz said. "It's a very cool print. I have it hanging in my home."

The compassionate gesture earned Lotz the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Last week, hospital administrators surprised her with the award at the end of her 12-hour shift. "We don't usually allow dogs in the hospital, but Morgan was willing to take the extra steps to make it happen," said Dot Rucker, department director of the 5 T. "She wanted to do whatever she could to comfort the family during a very difficult time."

Unaware she had been nominated for the DAISY Award, Lotz was caught off guard again when she was called in early Wednesday morning to speak to her supervisor. "When my manager told me the boss wanted to see, I got a little nervous," Lotz recounted. "I was in utter shock when I walked into the room and saw all these people standing there with balloons."

"Caring for patients and their family is the whole reason I became a nurse," Lotz said. "I feel like I'm making a difference."