I am delighted to nominate Cristelle Lanzaderas for the DAISY Award, as I find her to have all the qualities and more that make her an excellent nurse. 

Following my back surgery, I was hospitalized for 22 days. During that time, Cristelle cared for me with compassion and was relentless in obtaining the best possible outcomes for me. She went above and beyond to make me comfortable and treated me like a member of her family. On several occasions, she stayed after her shift was over to ensure that all my needs were met. She advocated for me when I couldn't advocate for myself. Her kindness, empathy, and professionalism made a profound impact on my recovery.

Recovery started as any other, following the surgery, which included back pain, weakness, and fatigue from the 5-hour surgery that was just performed. However, in a few days, this would start to go downhill rapidly. After days of no bowel movements, vomiting, countless IVs, severe abdominal pain, and overall misery, Cristelle knew she had to step up even more than she already had. After days of being told we would start an NG tube to drain my abdomen, nothing had ever been started. Cristelle stepped up and explained to my team of doctors that this needed to be done now. Later that day, I had an NG tube placed while Cristelle stayed over an hour past her shift to make sure it got done and it was working. She was told numerous times to go home, but she said, "I am staying for M." 

Cristelle checked on me more times in a day than anyone else, all while giving excellent care to her other patients on the floor. She never let me question anything that was going on because she constantly kept me in the loop. She took the time to talk to me about her life and family, listened to any of my stories, and got to know my wife, granddaughter, and anyone else who visited me. There were days when my temperature was all over the place, and she never hesitated to get me any supplies I needed (ice packs, heat packs, fans, blankets, and more). This is just a small part of the big impact she made. 

During those long days, Cristelle took time from her own break to wheel me to the skywalk. She said this was one of her favorite places to sit during work. We sat up there and talked for a while just to get me out of my room. When you are in the hospital, time moves slower than you could imagine. I felt miserable and was depressed from being stuck in a hospital bed with no end in sight. Cristelle could see right through my tough composure and took matters into her own hands. That day on the skywalk was one I will never forget, and that's when I knew she was beyond deserving of this award. 

Following my weekend trip to the ICU, I came back to the same floor as I was prior. Cristelle was never assigned to me for the rest of my stay, but there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't visit. She came during her shifts, on her break, or even on her day off, just to check on me. She told me she was thinking of me the entire time I was in the ICU and was so excited when I came back. When the day finally came to go home, Cristelle was the first one in line to say goodbye. She was in tears, saying I was her favorite patient, I would be missed, I was so kind to her, she was so proud of me, and many more heartwarming sayings. She was truly the best nurse I could have asked for. After 22 days in the hospital, countless setbacks, and misery, she was the one person I was going to miss the most. I could have never gotten through those days without her kindness, honesty, empathy, laughter, smile, and story times. There is no one else who could ever fill her shoes, and I am forever grateful for her.  There is no one more deserving of this achievement.