I write this letter following the untimely death of my father at a young 62 years of age. At the time of admission, the doctors informed my mother that I should travel back to Des Moines from my home of Dallas, Texas. I arrived late on Wednesday night and come Friday morning, Valentine's Day, after a drop in his blood pressure, the doctors frantically notified us my dad needed to move to ICU. It all happened so fast and was the most terrifying feeling as we rushed in that direction - toward what everyone just kept calling "the unit" with such fear in their voices. We were whisked into a visitor waiting area while my dad was rushed off with strangers and we were told that someone would come get us once he was situated and we could go to his room.

Maybe 30 minutes later, a sweet nurse came to the waiting room looking for us and informed my mom that my dad's blood pressure was up and he was just fine. In fact, she light heartedly said that she had never seen anyone in such good shape in the ICU. Little did we know, the caring, personable, relatable, and just plain likeable nurse would turn into an angel for our family. Micah was her name and making patients and families feel at ease was just one of the reasons we felt fortunate to work with her while my dad was in the ICU. She had such a spunk about her, an appetite to help others, and the ability to show a level of compassion that very few do.

After spending several weeks total at the hospital between two separate visits, no one held a candle to Micah. She was funny. She could give my dad a hard time and be rough, but was so extremely gentle at the same time. She told my mom, "I love my job," and it showed. Getting assigned Micah as my dad's nurse in ICU was such a game changer for my dad, as well as for my family's morale. Simply put, Micah made my family comfortable. She was able to bring light to one of our darkest times. As weird as this may sound, when just a few days after being in the ICU and the orders were placed to be moved to another floor, we were bummed. The care WE received from Micah was incredible. I truly believe that Micah is the reason that my dad lived as long as he did, which allowed me to spend some very special time bonding with my dad that I otherwise would not have had. I cherish the time I spent with him during his final days.

Not only was Micah's demeanor able to bring a sense of normalcy and hope to my dad, but her calmness and ability to find humor got my mom through a painful few days. Methodist Hospital in downtown Des Moines, Iowa is beyond lucky to have Micah on their ICU nursing staff. She is such a valuable asset. It is both an honor and privilege that I write this letter nominating Micah to be honored with the DAISY Award. No one is more deserving. If my dad were alive and well, he would definitely want to repay her. Hopefully, this award can serve as a token of appreciation from my family to Micah. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!