Mariya was not usually assigned to my mom, but was often around to help out whenever we could not find our nurse. She was always available to step in to help my mom in/out of bed or on the toilet, or to help walk her, or just heat up some soup. Mariya was so friendly, kind, and spoke to my mom with such a pleasant voice, and always had a smile on her face. She just had such a positive attitude and was a joy to be around.

When my mom had her first thoracentesis procedure to extract fluid from her lung, it did not go well… the fluid was red and milky, and too thick to pass through the hose, and her blood pressure dropped very rapidly. I witnessed all this as it was done bedside in her room. I asked the doctors if that was normal, and they said no – the fluid should be clear or light yellow. They decided to stop and abandon it, and seemed concerned and would have to test and consult with her lung specialist. I was very stressed, upset, and went outside the room to call my sister to tell her what happened. Mariya saw me and asked how the procedure went, and I just broke down sobbing. I was physically and mentally exhausted as I had been taking care of both my mom and my 93-year-old dad and going back and forth from the hospital 3-4x a day! Mariya saw my face and came over immediately to hug and console me, and told me that my mom would be alright… they would figure out what to do. She really made me feel much better.

Mariya was finally assigned to my mom the last few days in the ICU before she was transferred to the Rehab floor. She took great care of her, and made sure that she had everything she needed. Mariya is an excellent nurse and so good with her patients – you can tell that she loves her job and takes pride in her work. She is a true DAISY Nurse and exemplifies what extraordinary and compassionate looks like.