I spent the majority of 2011 undergoing cancer treatment. As a nurse myself, it was a special challenge as oncology wasn’t my area of expertise.

I am nominating Amy Tranin for this award because she IS the expert in oncology, and she is more than willing to use her expertise not only to benefit Cerner clients (which she does every single day), but was willing to go above and beyond to apply that expertise to me—personally—without restraint.

I spoke with Amy when my diagnosis was suspected; she not only “talked me down”, she directed me to ask the right questions, consider the various options, and understand the risks and benefits. As I moved further down the path to treatment decisions, she was there, consistently, to reassure me, help me make decisions, again lead me to ask the questions that she knew I had but I wasn’t able to formulate. As I underwent the various phases of treatment, she answered my questions, supported my choices, and offered additional advice.

Amy did all this in addition to her “day job”. She texted, called, and emailed when I least expected it and often most needed it, as if she had some sixth sense about when I was ready and in need of her support. She even returned one of my phone calls on a Saturday afternoon, just as she was ready to enter a church in Wisconsin to attend a family wedding!!

I know Amy is well respected in our industry, and is certainly well respected in her position here at Cerner. But DAISY is for nurses who do extraordinary things; as I’ve described it, Amy was “MY ROCK” in the midst of so many other pebbles and stones who helped me through the process. To me, that was extraordinary.

I am happy to say that my medical reports are very good, my most recent test results show no cancer, and I’m back to my normal activities. I can only hope that I can someday “pay forward” the kindness and care that Amy exemplified for me, should I ever have a chance to be another colleague’s “rock”.