When we brought our son to Mercy Fairfield we brought him in thinking he had a severe case of the flu and was dehydrated. He had lost 30 pounds in 10 days. When the first blood test returned, we were informed that he was in complete kidney failure and only had 1% kidney function. At 29 years old, we could not understand how this could be when there had been no warning signs that we were aware of. He was admitted and placed in ICU and placed under the care of Michael Walterman as his nurse.

Michael was a very calm, caring, and understanding nurse who took the time to explain what was happening to our son in detail. Our son was in extreme danger and special care was needed to try to stabilize him. Michael was there for our son and our family constantly through the first 48 hours. He made our son as comfortable as possible, explained every medication, test, and information that the doctors were providing to us. Continued lack of being able to intake any fluids or solids, other than his IV made our son’s situation extremely scary. Michael explained that the situation was critical and helped us to know that he would do everything possible to try to help our son. He came to our aid every time we needed him through those first 2 days.

Michael continued to check back in on our son throughout his stay and was so glad to see his progress as they transitioned him to dialysis. He continued to encourage our son. Our son throughout the last 1 ½ years has stopped in to visit with Michael to show him the progress he has made in the hopes to obtain a kidney. Michael has continued to be a strong encouragement to our son. Our son has recently received a kidney transplant and credits his positive attitude to Michael as a great person who helped to know life might get tough for a while but our son’s young age and otherwise good health would provide a great outcome. Thank you, Michael!

Note: This is Michael's 2nd DAISY Award!