I was in the hospital to have open-heart surgery. Due to COVID-19, only one family member could be at the hospital while I was having surgery. Due to my wife's age and my daughter being sick with COVID-19, my brother was there with me. After my surgery, I was taken to CSR where Rachael became my nurse. Rachael went above and beyond what was expected of her, making sure I had everything I needed and saved my life.

Roughly one hour after being out of surgery it was Rachael who found that my blood pressure had dropped, and my chest tubes were filling up with blood quickly and that something wasn't right. She notified all the appropriate people, and they took me back to surgery where they found one of my sutures had popped open causing bleeding. During this time, she was cool, calm, and collected. She not only gave me exceptional care that I needed but also made time to call and inform my family at home.

The DAISY Award was made to acknowledge nurses who have performed extraordinary care acts of kindness or demonstrated extraordinary compassion or have made a significant impact on a patient's hospital experience. By all definitions, Rachael is an extraordinary nurse and I have no doubt that because of her I am still here today.