My mother in-law is a patient on your unit. I am writing to you to let you know how wonderful, caring and COMPASSIONATE your nurses, specifically Sylvia and Julie were. My family spent the whole evening at dinner talking about these nurses. Sylvia, I could tell was very busy going up and down the halls with a smile beautiful as the San Diego sky and Julie so supportive. I am a retired nurse instructor, after 23 years of practicing and 15 years in management, I have seen it all. I was in the bathroom and Sylvia came in with her aide to wash my "Grammy", (she did not know I was in the bathroom in the room), the nurse aide told her to hold my mother in-law while she cleaned. Sylvia told her "No you hold her while I wash her so I can check her bottom and the rest of her skin". The nurse aide's response to her was "Oh my God, I have never heard a nurse say that". My intention was not to eaves drop but listening to their interaction was comforting and reassuring to have these nurses take care of our dying mother while we all go out for dinner to discuss her funeral. I was by my mother in-law's side for 7 hours today. Just like any other hospital in America, your nurses seemed busy and Sylvia had something going on next door (because there were lots of doctors at bedside. I assumed he was very sick). Sylvia transitioned between my mother in-law's room and her other patient's with no complaints and always kept that beautiful smile every single time she came in to check on her. We bothered her with questions and requests and she never frowned or complained. She always came back to check on us to see how we were doing and if we needed something. Julie brought us drinks and snacks. We felt very special but we knew it was not "special" because we heard and saw their interactions with other patients and their family members.

I never tell nurses I am a nurse because I want young nurses to be comfortable. The moment of truth came when the inevitable discussion of death care came up. The doctors as usual did their best to keep us informed and discuss the plan. Julie and Sylvia came in and explained everything to us, and for once my family had nothing to ask me, "the nurse" in the family. Sylvia has such an old kind soul; she tolerated my husband's emotional instability, took command and asked us to step out as she educated my husband and brother in-law on my ailing mother in-law's disease. This was very important to me because I needed my husband to be strong for the entire family.

My mother in-law received first class care from these nurses today, my sister died 3 months ago on the same unit and we were all emotional and these girls took care of us with no complaints.

My family and I would like to nominate Sylvia RN and Julie RN for the DAISY award for the compassionate care they gave my mother in-law and the whole family. Sylvia is compassionate, kind, beautiful inside and out. She genuinely enjoys caring for her patients. She laughed and cried with us. In her own words, "My job here is to support you all and make this difficult time easy" and she did just that. Julie is also compassionate and caring. They bathe, cleaned my mother in-law, and presented a comfortable looking woman to us. Please let these ladies know, we will never forget them nor forget what they did for us. Our mother is a special lady and they made her journey to be with the LORD beautiful and pleasant.

Thank you for allowing us to remember her last days on this earth as comfortable, peaceful, and clean.