Recently a young patient was admitted to the ICU after an unexpected cardiac event that led to a 1-hour cardiac arrest. This young woman was otherwise healthy and the reason for the event was unexplained. Her devoted husband was home with her when she collapsed and was the one who started CPR on his wife. This devastating situation became more somber when it was determined that the patient's neurologic outcome was poor and that she would likely never be able to be weaned from life support. Her husband made the difficult choice to proceed with organ donation after cardiac death.

Rachel cared for this patient as the primary nurse, one on one with her for four consecutive 12-hour night shifts. This young couple did not have children or other close immediate family. The husband was the primary support person involved in his wife's case and left mostly alone to navigate his suffering and disbelief at this unthinkable situation, staying at her bedside around the clock for the duration of her ICU stay. Rachel made a connection with the husband, offering him support, compassion, and understanding as he navigated his grief and complicated feelings in an impossible situation. Rachel allowed herself to be vulnerable, crying along with him and sharing in his pain as he processed the reality of the situation. She went above and beyond her duties as a bedside nurse and in addition to providing life-sustaining interventions, she incorporated personalized and compassionate care of the patient through acts such as bathing her, thoroughly washing her hair, and taking time to braid her hair with ribbon, which she thoughtfully kept a piece of to give to the patient's husband as a memento. She purchased a blanket for the patient to have in the ICU, so that the husband would have it to take with him after her death.

The efforts made by Rachel with this patient's care and with the support of the patient's grieving husband were recognized in a personal email sent to our unit manager, thanking the nurses who helped get him through this devastating experience. This is an exemplary case of what it truly means to be a nurse. Rachel seamlessly encompassed the art of nursing and the human-centered approach that is the core of this profession. This nurse goes above and beyond for every patient, every day to offer this standard of compassion and care and I am beyond proud to call her a colleague and a friend. I cannot think of a person more deserving of a DAISY A
ward.