I am nominating my coworker and dear friend, Orquidea Feliz, for the DAISY Award for providing excellent nursing care outside of her working hours. Although the situation I'm about to share occurred outside of her place of work, I feel it was a significant event.

In November of 2025, Orquidea and her husband had taken some time off from work to enjoy each other for their wedding anniversary. She and her husband, H, enjoy playing pickleball together, so they went one morning to play and decided to go to a court that they weren't originally planning on going to. Orquidea was playing a match against an elderly woman who I believe was in her 80's. Orquidea said the woman played well and was quick on her feet, and she was so impressed with how well the woman played against her that the woman won the match!

They were taking a break on the bench to drink some water, and the woman she played against was at a nearby bench drinking water as well. The next thing Orquidea saw was the woman fall face forward onto the floor, passing out. Orquidea and her husband rushed over to her and turned her onto her back, and they could tell she was not breathing, and she did not have a pulse. The two of them sprang into action, and Orquidea started doing chest compressions while her husband was giving rescue breaths.

Someone nearby ran and miraculously found an AED, and they were able to use it. EMS showed up, and the patient was brought here to Waterman Emergency Department, where the woman was stabilized, and she survived because of their amazing teamwork as husband and wife, and Orquidea's husband is also a nurse, so they both knew exactly how to handle the situation quickly and efficiently using their nursing skills even off the clock! Because of them, this woman is alive today! They are both "Hometown Heroes" in my eyes!