Chris was the primary RN for a woman who had recently been in a traumatic car accident. Although the patient’s injuries were relatively minor, her husband sustained critical injuries and was taken urgently to the ICU. The husband had been unstable on arrival, and continued to deteriorate overnight and by the next morning, the MDs had exhausted all options and determined that his death was imminent. Despite a 4-patient load, Chris skillfully arranged for himself to go off the unit to escort his grieving patient to the ICU so she could be present with her husband for his final moments. Chris communicated with our managers, our charge nurse, and float nurse to create a comprehensive plan that ensured appropriate care was being rendered in his absence to his other patients. This allowed him to appropriately discharge this patient so that she could focus solely on her remaining moments with her husband. Although he could easily have allowed the challenges of that day to overwhelm him, he remained calm, composed, and compassionate in the face of incredible tragedy.  

Not only did he provide support for his grieving patient, but he also went on to praise the teamwork that happened behind the scenes to our patient care manager. The patient care manager went on to officially acknowledge and recognize everyone who had been involved. Although the role I had played was relatively small, Chris remembered me, and I was included in the acknowledgment from our manager. This unexpected moment of meaningful recognition uplifted not only our team, but the RNs and management on our unit as well. Chris constantly goes above and beyond, not only for his patients but for his colleagues.  

In another example, one evening shortly after change-of-shift, a code was called on one of his patients. Although he was giving report, Chris stayed until the crisis had been appropriately managed and the oncoming nurse was able to assess her other patients and return and confidently assume control of the situation. Chris can render extraordinary care like this, largely because of his incredible sense of humor. Victor Hugo wrote, “laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” I have both experienced and observed the transformative effect of this laughter on myself, our colleagues, and our patients. The laughter and joy he brings people are restorative and healing, and the purest expression of love. I could not imagine what our unit would be like today if he were not present. It is my honor to nominate him today for a DAISY Award, in acknowledgment of all that he is, and all that he does, for our patients and colleagues.