My 93-year-old father was admitted to NCH Baker on Wednesday for a small bowel obstruction. Treatments were difficult, and my father was suffering. My sister and I first met Alicia on Saturday when we began to encounter complications and difficult decisions. Alicia had been providing some assistance to our father when we were not there, even though she was not part of his regular care team. When we met her, she was able to "translate" doctor explanations into language we could understand, and she helped to clearly lay out our options. The doctors gave us medical information, but Alicia gave us the information and guidance we needed to make the right decisions for my father and our family. Each time we faced a decision and wanted Alicia's input, we turned around and she was there. Her honesty and compassion gave us the courage to make the difficult decisions we needed to make. Alicia put a human touch on the medical aspects of the hospital experience. She kept telling us, "When you're here, you're family." We truly felt comforted by her presence and trusted her because she was treating us like family. We will be forever grateful to Alicia for the care she showed my father, my sister, and me. NCH Baker truly has an angel on its staff, and her name is Alicia Kokkinos! My feeling is that submitting this recognition is the final step in my father's life. Alicia is a true DAISY Nurse.
Note: This is Alicia's 2nd DAISY Award!