I can honestly say that Zach leaves a lasting impression on every patient that he comes into contact with. It is a great pleasure to have a co-worker like Zach. Among the many patients Zach has come into contact with, two patients in particular come into mind, and are the reason I am nominating him for this award.

... a teenage patient with a long-standing past medical history came to the PICU. Zach instantly made a connection with the family and the patient. The patient loved to have Zach as her nurse and would tell her grandmother how good looking he was. Unfortunately the patient became increasingly more ill and the family was faced with the difficult decision of whether to continue care or to stop care. Zach was an absolute support system for the family. He joined them in the care conference and helped to explain what was going on and to make sure they were understanding the options the doctors were presenting. Shortly after the care conference ended, Zach took it upon himself to search throughout the hospital for self-adhesive tattoos. The patient had always wanted a tattoo and Zach not only found a tattoo for her but also found one that was her favorite color and a butterfly which was one of her favorite things. He placed the tattoo over her heart and when the family came in to talk with the patient about what their plans were they saw what Zach had done. They were beside themselves, that he was so thoughtful, and joked that he was in big trouble for giving her a tattoo without asking grandma first. It brought tears to the family's eyes, because it would eventually become the patient's last dying wish. She wasted away that day with her purple butterfly tattoo, and Zach was there by the family's side as she took her last breath. He was so professional throughout the entire ordeal and I believe the family will be forever grateful for having shared their final hours with Zach as their nurse.

Another patient Zach took care of was in a motor vehicle accident. This patient was doing remarkably well, but because of the accident only had the use of his arms. It didn't matter how busy Zach was during a day or night shift he was took time out of his day to visit this patient and get him to have a big belly laugh. When Zach was the nurse for this patient he would read to him and play trucks & cars with him. He didn't care how much work he had to do, he wanted to make sure he could play and be a three year old kid. This patient loved to have Zach as his nurse, and would cry when Zach had to leave him. He formed such a special bond with this patient.

These are only two of many examples of what an exemplary nurse Zach is. I cannot think of an individual more deserving then him.