My daughter was admitted to the hospital after having a seizure. She is only 19-years-old and was put on the ventilator and machines to help her kidneys and blood. There were days we went without knowing if she would make it through the night. Every nurse and doctor in the ICU were so kind and knowledgeable, which we needed because this is not something we are experts in. We needed their guidance to help make the right decisions. One nurse really stood out for her above and beyond compassionate and positive attitude. Dani T. Wills stayed with my daughter when the breathing machine was taken off, she was such a positive force, encouraging and celebrating all the big and small steps. She noticed right away that something was off and got my daughter the help she needed when her oxygen kept going down. Dani kept her anxiety down and helped our family feel more comfortable when my daughter had to be taken off dialysis and put back on the green machine. It felt like we had taken huge steps back and were back at square one. Dani assured us that my daughter was doing good and helped us to see that this was just us taking a different path and not a step back. She kept us all hopeful and informed. This all happened right before my daughter’s 19th birthday.

We were worried how we could celebrate it in the hospital. I didn’t want to leave her side and Dani assured me that it would be handled. She sat with me in the waiting room and told me I was a good mom and a strong mom, and she would make the birthday happen. She bought gifts and decorations and came early to her shift to set it all up. She even decorated the green machine and helped my daughter name him ‘Buddy’ to make it less scary. The whole unit came in at this nurse’s request to sing my daughter happy birthday. We finally got moved out of the ICU. Dani has been here every step of the way even though she is no longer our nurse, continuing to encourage and remind my daughter how well she’s doing. Dani is my daughter’s biggest cheerleader. She comes by on her days off to paint my daughter’s nails with fun designs and talk to her. My daughter is a hero to our family, but this nurse is my daughter’s hero. Our family can never thank Dani enough for what she has done. She has gone so far above and beyond what is required of her to make my daughter know how special and strong she is, and we will never forget her kindness.
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My son was the patient, and he got moved to ICU after he started getting worse. He had testicular cancer that spread to his lungs, which resulted in us being in and out of the hospital. This time, he unfortunately did not make it out. My son had a lot of nurses in his stay, but the one that stood out was Dani T. Wills. She had him almost the entire time he was in the ICU. She kept us updated every step of the way, checked on him constantly, and helped make sure he was taken care of. This nurse noticed little changes with him and made sure to keep the doctors and us informed, while also telling us every change they made and why. During my son’s last day, he made a drastic step back and we had to make tough decisions as a family. This nurse wasn’t there that day, but the moment she walked in for her night shift, she came to us to check on my son. It made such a difference to see her, to know she truly cared for him that much, and for her to give all of us a hug and keep us calm. I will never forget the words she said as she hugged and cried with me. She told me that I was his biggest fighter and advocate. She said he is a wonderful person, and while she didn’t meet him while he was awake, she knew he was a wonderful person because of the people and family that she had met. Dani is truly special, and I’m so thankful we had her because she made his last days comfortable and gave him the best shot.