From the dozens of nurses who have taken excellent care of my husband in the past two months, Sam had him on his hardest nights. My husband was just intubated and quite unstable on many levels: blood pressure, oxygenation, bleeding … Sam cared for him during this time for several weeks, multiple nights (3 or 4) in a row. Every night, she labored in the room for much of her shift. Despite the intense work, she was also patient and caring towards me, checking on me, telling me it was ok that I was overwhelmed, and explaining things, so I didn’t freak out every time something beeped, which was basically around the clock those nights. I am sad that my memories of those nights are really foggy, filled with constant terror, exhaustion, and bad news from the doctors.

This is why I can’t think of one particular story about Sam during that time. However, I will forever remember her powerful presence in the room, moving diligently, adjusting the two towers of many drips, exuding confidence and calm night after night. If I had to pick a single MVP of the worst weeks of my husband's stay in the SICU among the night nurses, the award would undoubtedly go to Sam. Sam’s compassion and kindness are just as stellar as her competence and skills. When my husband finally woke up, he was super anxious and had no idea what had happened to him. We were lucky to have Sam back that night, and I asked her if she could talk to him. I watched her hold his hand so lovingly and explain to him precisely and kindly what had happened to him. He then fell asleep calmly. Sam is a silent hero, making her even more worthy of a DAISY Award. She always gives others credit, and when I thanked her and praised her many accolades, she simply said, "It’s an honor to be a nurse."