Anne Everett
March 2026
Anne
Everett
,
RN, CPN
Procedure Center
Rady Children's Health- Orange County
Orange
,
CA
United States
Nurse Annie’s ability to notice, question, and act on even the smallest physical detail made all the difference.
Our journey at CHOC has stretched over a decade. As a grateful family, we’ve experienced many “DAISY-worthy” moments and met countless nurses deserving of this honor. But this one moment — because of its attention to detail, intuition, and fierce advocacy — stands apart. It reflects the highest qualities of nursing, the kind that truly deserves to be recognized and celebrated.
Some back story: Our daughter fought a long and courageous battle with her own health before gaining her wings just five days short of her 11th birthday. As a family, we were not ready to be back in the hospital in the same patient capacity again. However, only six months later — while we were still very much grieving — our son came in for what we believed would be a routine yearly procedure to monitor his Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), a rare genetic condition that already required close, ongoing medical oversight.
In the procedure room that day, something unexpected happened. My son, perhaps distracted, forgot to remove his underwear. Nurse Annie removed it for him — and in that moment, she noticed something unusual. She could have said nothing. She could have assumed we already knew. But she didn’t.
Trusting her instincts, Nurse Annie raised her voice. From my understanding, she left the procedure room, crossed the bridge to Urology, and personally brought back Dr. S. What they discovered was a testicular tumor the size of a baseball. Within 48 hours, we learned it was malignant — and an extremely rare form of testicular cancer. So rare, in fact, that my son’s case is now part of the national medical registry to help other physicians identify and treat similar cases in the future.
This single act made by Nurse Annie sparked a ripple effect of care — not just for my son, but for future patients who may face this form of cancer linked to Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. Nurse Annie’s ability to notice, question, and act on even the smallest physical detail made all the difference.
As a nurse — and truly, for any healthcare professional — even the smallest detail can become the most critical catch, leading to necessary and timely treatment. If Nurse Annie hadn’t spoken up, I would have taken my son home that day, completely unaware of this potentially life-threatening disease growing inside his body.
Her quick action didn’t just alter the course of my son’s life — it gave him a fighting chance.
Nurse Annie, you gave us the opportunity to face this cancer head-on — and to win! Thank you so, so much!
Some back story: Our daughter fought a long and courageous battle with her own health before gaining her wings just five days short of her 11th birthday. As a family, we were not ready to be back in the hospital in the same patient capacity again. However, only six months later — while we were still very much grieving — our son came in for what we believed would be a routine yearly procedure to monitor his Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), a rare genetic condition that already required close, ongoing medical oversight.
In the procedure room that day, something unexpected happened. My son, perhaps distracted, forgot to remove his underwear. Nurse Annie removed it for him — and in that moment, she noticed something unusual. She could have said nothing. She could have assumed we already knew. But she didn’t.
Trusting her instincts, Nurse Annie raised her voice. From my understanding, she left the procedure room, crossed the bridge to Urology, and personally brought back Dr. S. What they discovered was a testicular tumor the size of a baseball. Within 48 hours, we learned it was malignant — and an extremely rare form of testicular cancer. So rare, in fact, that my son’s case is now part of the national medical registry to help other physicians identify and treat similar cases in the future.
This single act made by Nurse Annie sparked a ripple effect of care — not just for my son, but for future patients who may face this form of cancer linked to Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. Nurse Annie’s ability to notice, question, and act on even the smallest physical detail made all the difference.
As a nurse — and truly, for any healthcare professional — even the smallest detail can become the most critical catch, leading to necessary and timely treatment. If Nurse Annie hadn’t spoken up, I would have taken my son home that day, completely unaware of this potentially life-threatening disease growing inside his body.
Her quick action didn’t just alter the course of my son’s life — it gave him a fighting chance.
Nurse Annie, you gave us the opportunity to face this cancer head-on — and to win! Thank you so, so much!