Susan Lloyd has been a constant encouragement to me during times of maintaining my health, as well as providing hope and strength at some of the lowest points of COVID-19 and pneumonia. In October of 2020, I was infected with COVID-19, which very quickly developed into pneumonia. I believed that the bedrest would solve my illness. Susan checked on my status daily, and when she believed that I required more than rest, she reached out to my primary care provider at the Wausau Community Based Outpatient Clinic. Susan communicated her notes of monitoring my decline with my provider, and they both insisted that I needed a trip to the local hospital. It was at that point they discovered that I did have COVID-19 and pneumonia had also set in. Susan continued her monitoring calls until I had finally gotten strong enough to spend a good part of my day out of bed.

Through all my health ups and downs, Susan remains the cheerful voice on the other end of the phone. I take care of my 90-year-old mother, and she is just as grateful for Susan’s commitment to my health as I am, for she realizes that my ability to properly care for her, depends on me remaining healthy. I am constantly attempting to improve nutrition so that I can limit pharmaceutical solutions. Susan has always made time to hear changes that I want to make, and when she doesn’t have firsthand experience with my inquiries, she always researches the positives and negatives and gets back to me. Susan is my strongest support to “maintain health” rather than waiting and then having to “fix” the sick.

Every Veteran needs an always positive “Susan” in their life. Regardless of the time it takes, Susan comes through. So many times, I will get a call into the evening, and she is still in her office, reaching out to the Veterans in her program. These are just a few of the reasons that I nominate Susan for the DAISY Award.