On behalf of the family, we would like to nominate Tasha RN, for the DAISY Award. As our dear mother spent many hospitalizations at Mercy Anderson over the past few years, Tasha stood out as a healthcare professional that exemplified compassion and professionalism with our loved one. As there are multiple physicians and nurses in the immediate family that were present at bedside, we are all keenly aware of the added pressure that it can place on the nurse providing care to the patient. Please consider the below comments from one of the grandchildren who was a witness to Tasha's excellent nursing care, connection with the family and her involvement in making the end of life a truly blessed experience.

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My immensely ill grandmother had just been admitted to the ICU. I sat nervously with several other family members in the waiting area. Being a critical care nurse, I had to fight the instinct of wanting to be at bedside and providing care. This was the first time in my life where I found myself in the role of a worried family member of a very sick patient and I felt completely helpless. I desperately needed to know that my grandmother was in the care of skilled hands. Tasha, brought me back to see my grandmother at the bedside. I asked her about the plan of care and what was being done to stabilize my grandmother. The confidence in her voice and tenacity in her actions immediately belayed my anxiety because I knew we had an awesome critical care nurse taking care of my grandmother.

The critical care environment requires a nurse to be confident, assertive and incredibly smart. Critical care nurses know how to be advocates for their sick patients and take action in the most stressful of situations. Tasha made it really apparent that she possessed all of these invaluable qualities. Upon my grandmother's admission, Tasha immediately assessed and identified the unstable presentation of my grandmother and worked diligently with the intensivist to initiate urgent treatments.

Numerous visitors can be very stressful on a nurse, especially when many of the family members have medical backgrounds. Recognizing that my grandmother had a large amount of worried family members in the waiting room, Tasha made it a point to allow us all to come in the room and be at bedside to comfort my grandmother. Tasha worked seamlessly with the family members at bedside, knowing that sometimes the best care nurses can provide a patient is the love of family present.

An experienced critical care nurse by nature seeks to command control of patient care and does not easily relinquish this control to others. However, Tasha had the confidence and patience to allow me to collaborate with her in providing care to my grandmother. She understood that a nurse is always a nurse and taking care of others is in our blood. As my grandmother's status deteriorated, Tasha recognized that I desperately needed to feel a part of the nursing care. She took my thoughts into consideration and made me feel like I had a valuable input in how she provided care to my grandmother.

Given the terminal nature of my grandmother's current medical condition, our family made the difficult decision to initiate palliative care measures. Tasha made a quick transition from aggressive, life-saving nursing care to comfort and supportive nursing care. The ability to competently make that kind of shift in nursing care only comes with experience and Tasha demonstrated it well.

I held my grandmother's hand as she took her last breath and the heart rending tears that fell from my eyes were abated by an overwhelming sense of peace. This peace came from the honor of being my grandmother's "nurse" in her final hours, and providing for her the comfort and love she deserved. It was one the the proudest moments of my life and I will be forever grateful to Tasha.