My dad was at Dell Seton Medical Center for two weeks. Between my mother, brother, and me, we did not leave him alone for more than 5 minutes at a time in those two weeks. I slept in his room 7-8 nights, and in all the evenings, nights, and mornings during that time, I interacted with more nurses, technicians, and other hospital staff than I can count or remember. Out of them all, Natalie was a beacon of light, love, and kindness, and I am forever grateful to her and for her presence in this most trying of all times for my family.

Not to be over-dramatic, but she made our hell feel manageable and survivable when she was with us. My dad is a brilliant, highly accomplished physician in his own right. Seeing him reduced to where he needed flashcards to remember where he was, how he got sick, and what year it is, needing help to use the bathroom, and being unable to remember conversations 60 seconds before was sobering, to say the least. Within this context, Natalie took care of my dad 5-6 nights. She was so wonderful with him and my family that a single story would not do justice to her diligence, patience, goodness, and kindness. I honestly get emotional thinking about it.

After the first night Natalie worked with us, I wished she could be there every night. When Dad or we had questions about medications or other doctor’s orders, Natalie was there to answer questions, take our feedback, and help us resolve any concerns. Dad is hard of hearing now due to cancer treatment, and of every hospital staff person we encountered, Natalie understood how to speak with him so he felt calm and reassured and understood what was happening and why. When Dad woke up randomly and tried to get out of bed in the middle of the night, when he still couldn’t walk and didn’t know where he was, Natalie was there gently, kindly, and patiently helping him to regroup, get him whatever he needed, and helping him understand what was going on and why. When he needed his bed adjusted, fresh ice water, a snack, or anything else, Natalie showed up with patience and kindness.

When Dad could not use the regular toilet for the first 5-6 days and multiple times each day, we needed to help him stand at the edge of his hospital bed and use his walker and a gait belt to turn him and move him two feet away to the bedside toilet; Natalie was there helping him stand, turn, and use the toilet. When Dad struggled to urinate and was consistently retaining 300+ mLs of urine after urination for those first 5-6 days, requiring frequent bladder scans and multiple catheterizations, Natalie was there soothing him and patiently making sure he emptied his bladder as much as possible and made him feel safe.

Encephalitis prevented Dad from understanding most of what was going on in that first week, and even now, closing out week two, he is still confused, experiencing memory problems, and experiencing false memories, but out of all of the challenging times in these two weeks, the nights Natalie took care of him were the easiest on all of us. I apologize that I can't give a more coherent bite-sized story to articulate in a soundbite why Natalie deserves the DAISY Award, but I assure you with all my heart, if anyone has ever deserved the award, Natalie Dang does. She is a nurse all nurses should aspire to be, no question, and I doubt I’ll ever meet another who compares with her in grace and goodness.