I would like to recognize Katie Volz for her superior care of my father and my family. My father was in the MICU for five days. Katie was my father's nurse for 3 of those 5 days. Her competency was beyond reproach. But what we were most grateful for was her compassion. When she was performing cares for my father, she always spoke to him, called him by his name, held his hand if needed. You could hear the love for her patients in her voice. I'm not even sure if I can put it into words, but she has a real love for her job and her patients that was so obvious to see. One night we were getting ready to leave and, I can't remember if they were going to bathe my dad or something like that, and my mom asked Katie who would hold his hand during that time if we went home, and Katie told her she would. That meant so much to my mom. She answered our many questions without ever making us feel like we were being a bother. If we said we thought my dad was in pain, she gave him meds. Every one of us who had the pleasure of being with Dad when she was there thought she was awesome. Honestly, almost everyone we encountered during Dad's stay at OSF was great, but Katie is definitely in a league of her own. Katie was my dad's nurse when we made the decision to provide my dad with palliative care. We were so happy, all of us, that she was the nurse there that day. My mom had been watching my dad decline for several days and was so emotional and exhausted after he passed that she just wanted to go home quickly. Katie had to go downstairs for something, and another nurse told us she was hoping we could wait until she got back to tell us goodbye. But mom just needed to leave. Please tell Katie how much we appreciated her and that if it was up to the rest of us, we would've stayed to say goodbye, but momma was just too upset. Once again, thank you, Katie. We will not forget you or your compassionate care.  

***

One of the first nurses we encountered (I don't recall if it was the first day or after) was Katie Volz. From her first interaction with my mom and other family members, Katie was kind, compassionate, knowledgeable, and always ready to answer the questions about my dad. We have a large family, and after his initial move to ICU, she had to contend with people coming and going to his room all day, but she never gave the impression that we were unwelcome or in the way. She always had a kind word and tried to get to know all of the family members and how they are connected to her patient. Katie made sure that everyone got answers to their questions, even when it meant repeating the same thing to multiple people. Katie was actually on duty at the beginning of Dad's stay at the hospital and at the end. She and another nurse helped us understand what palliative care is all about and helped us make the decision to end his suffering by ending his treatment. She was there when Dad passed away. It would be easy to say that Katie "was just doing her job," but that is not accurate when describing her professionalism and tremendous compassion for her patient and those who loved him. I can't say enough how awesome she was throughout her shifts with Dad, and we feel very fortunate that she was there when we needed her. I'm sure Katie cares for many patients, but I hope that by making this nomination for recognition, she will know how much we appreciate her extraordinary efforts. When Katie said she would pray for Dad and the rest of the family, we knew that she was not just "being nice" but that she actually would lift us up in prayer. We could not have asked for a better caregiver and wholeheartedly believe Katie is a true DAISY Nurse.