Our son L was very nervous for his surgical procedure. L has a tic disorder that gets worse under stress. He was unusually quiet on our way to the hospital and was displaying frequent tic behaviors. L's demeanor immediately changed as soon as he met nurse Dan. His tics actually stopped! Dan had L engaged in the process from the second that they met. He explained everything to our son in an age-appropriate way. He distracted L with play and within minutes had him smiling and laughing. Somehow, Dan magically transformed a very scary experience for a young child into a fun experience! Nurse Dan went above and beyond and gave L a stress toy, which so brilliantly gave him something to focus his immediate nervous energy on. Given that L was so relaxed and comfortable it took the edge off of our anxiety as his parents. We truly felt that L was in the most capable, compassionate hands with nurse Dan. We are exceptionally grateful for the care that our son received from such an extraordinary nurse. Dan shows what it means when technical skills combine with compassion, intuition, and kindness and thereby exemplifies what it truly means to be a pediatric nurse. When your child is cared for by Dan you realize that pediatric nursing is more than a profession, it's a calling!

Note: This is Dan's 3rd DAISY Award!