I am writing to nominate Tina Ake, registered nurse in the Infusion Center at Cook Children's Medical Center, for the hospital's DAISY award. Tina has been the assigned RN for my son a number of times during his chemotherapy sessions over the past nine months.

At age 26, my son is older than most Cook's patients and is being treated at the hospital because he had a recurrence of an aggressive pediatric cancer originally diagnosed and treated at Cook's in 2005. He is quiet and not very expressive by nature, becoming even more withdrawn when he feels so ill during the chemo treatments. Initially, he also felt out of place because of his age and education level (Ph.D. student) compared to the other patients in the Infusion Center.

Tina consistently worked to notice my son and interact with him whenever he was in the Infusion Center. In a friendly, non-threatening manner, she always tried to involve him in whatever was going on in the Center - and, amazingly, was usually successful! She took extra time to talk with him, listen to his concerns, and make sure that he was as comfortable as possible. He especially liked her homemade chocolate cookies, which he was always able to eat and enjoy regardless of his level of chemo-induced nausea.

My husband and I are so grateful to Tina for her ability to draw our son out and make him feel more comfortable while he receives his chemotherapy. She goes well above and beyond the call of duty to make our son's chemotherapy experiences much more pleasant for him. She is the epitome of what a Cook Children's DAISY award nurse should be!