A hush falls over the crowded conference room as co-workers and well-wishers lie in wait for the newest of our nurses to be told she has won The DAISY Award.

Lisa Rizzi-Wagner walks in – totally unsuspecting – and a grin begins to spread over her face at the sight of her friends and family. Lisa was honored with the DAISY Award in an emotional ceremony. Her husband and daughters were sneaked into the hospital to surprise her.

One of Lisa’s nominators had these kind words to say about her: “One of CHLA’s core values is family-centered care, and when I think of the kind of nurse that I aspire to be in this department, I think of Lisa. She is not from a Spanish-speaking background, but specifically learned Spanish so she could better communicate with our Spanish-speaking patients and families. She is always thinking of opportunities for parents to bond with their newborn infants (a large population in the CTICU). She often offers and encourages parents to hold their intubated babies.”