It is with deep gratitude and admiration that I nominate Amanda Rome “Rome” for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. In a moment that demanded both clinical skills and human compassion, Rome provided a level of care that went far beyond expected. On this day, a gentleman was flown to WJMC from offshore in cardiac arrest and unfortunately passed away in our ED. He had an 8 y/o daughter who was eagerly awaiting her daddy’s arrival from offshore to spend two weeks with him. She had prepared a gift and had a new school picture to give him. Instead of picking him up from the local heliport, she had to accompany her family to WJMC, where she would ultimately find out news that would forever change the trajectory of her life.

While the care team worked with the family to prepare for how to share the tragic news with the child, Rome instinctively recognized the emotional weight in the room and responded with quiet, gentle intuition. Sensing that the young girl only had a few minutes before she would find out devastating news, Rome offered to take her to the hospital gift shop. What might have seemed like a simple gesture, a small trip to pick out a toy or stuffed animal, became something far more profound. Rome brought the young lady to the gift shop, where she was encouraged to pick out some treats and toys, spending her own money. What makes this gesture seem so special to me is that Rome was not directly involved in the care of the father. Simply put, her kindness and instincts kicked in immediately. She didn’t have to be asked to do this, and never asked for recognition. Had I not been sitting next to her, I would never have known about this act of love.

When the girl returned, she carried with her treats and a toy she had picked out, smiling briefly at that fleeting moment of normalcy. Shortly afterward, her family gently told her that her father had passed. Through tears and confusion, she held tightly to her toy—clutching it as a source of comfort, something tangible and warm when her world had just been shattered. Rome stayed by her side as she found out this tragic news. As Rome departed, the little girl asked if she could give her daddy the picture she held. Without a second thought, Rome assured the girl that her daddy would get that picture. Rome placed the picture in the descendant's hand and then quietly returned to her own assigned area, her eyes welling up with tears. She didn’t have to take that child to the gift shop. It wasn’t on the chart, it wasn’t an assigned task, and it wasn’t expected. But it was exactly what that little girl needed. In that small, compassionate act, Rome gave her something to hold on to when everything else was falling apart. This is the kind of nursing that defines the spirit of the DAISY Award. Quiet, powerful, heart-led care that makes a lifelong difference. Please take my nomination with the utmost gravity, with the understanding that I see powerful, compassionate nursing every day, yet this was exceptional. With this act, the most fortified heart in the ED was softened, prompting my resolute decision to nominate Amanda Rome.