My family and I truly believe that Annie Craig is the reason our mother is still with us today. We know the medicine helped, but Annie was able to recognize there was a bigger problem, and here begins the story and reason I believe Annie should be honored with the DAISY Award.

On New Year's Day 2014 my mother and father arrived at Naples Community Hospital Emergency Room. My mother who flew in to Naples 2 days earlier was still in bed unable to stand or really catch her breath. My father described her as looking very ashen and advised her to get out of bed so they could get to the hospital. Unable to really walk she was able to get herself into the car and they drove 10 minutes away to the Naples Community Hospital. They waited 1 hour in the waiting room and while waiting my mother began to get really sick, really fast. A nurse in the emergency room came out to assist my Dad and realized my mother was very sick. This Nurse was Annie Craig. She took my mother's vitals and realized my mother needed immediate care. Annie did what you would hope any other nurse would do, and that was to make sure my mother was going to survive. The Emergency Room hospital staff did everything they could to save my mother and were successful.

The reason why my family would like to nominate Annie Craig for the DAISY Award is because not only did she take care of my mother but she also recognized that my father, being so scared and worried about my mother, was unable to make the phone calls he needed to make to his 3 worried daughters. Annie recognized the pain and emotion in my father and offered to make the calls for him.

I can only speak for myself at this point, but once I heard a nurse on the phone line I instantly began to cry, thinking the worst. Between my sobs I heard her tell me what was happening to my mother. I tried to write it down but I was so scared. All I heard looking back on my notes was blood clots, lungs, no blood pressure, ICU. I asked if I should come there right away. I remember her telling me that if it was her mother she would come and also wanted me to know that my father is too upset to do this alone. I live in Maine and had been watching the weather for days so knew that a major snow storm was heading this way and that if I didn't leave now, I wouldn't be able to get there.

I somehow was able to get there by 10 PM that evening while my mother slept in ICU. According to my father, Annie came to visit my mother and father in ICU that night at the end of her shift and was still so supportive to my father. My sisters and I all arrived by the next day. We sat by our mother's side for the next 7 days watching her experiencing hospital care like we've never seen. We have been so impressed with all the staff at Naples Community Hospital. We don't believe my mother would have received such amazing care had she been anywhere else.

We decided that even though there were so many Nurses, Techs and Doctors that took care of our mother, Annie was the one who got us all through that first scary day. We thought of going to introduce ourselves to Annie and thank her, but to our surprise she came and found us sitting by our mother's side in ICU 2 days later. She said she kept us all in her prayers in the days she wasn't working and hadn't been able to get us out of her mind. We must have made an impression on her, but she really made an impression on us. Annie took the reins and saved my mother and compassionately cared for my father. With her kind word and positive attitude she was able to inform us of what was happening, but also in so many words explain how serious my mother's condition was, because of her we were all there, with our mother within 24 hours of her being admitted. I believe that because we were all there, Annie's extraordinary nursing and that she went above and beyond for my family she should be awarded the DAISY Award. Annie continues to remain in our prayers and we as a family will never forget her.