Anthony Wreggelsworth
March 2025
Anthony
Wreggelsworth
,
BSN, RN
Surgical ICU
McLaren Bay Region
Bay City
,
MI
United States
Seeing Anthony in the moment and knowing how much he cared enough to stick around to try to help save my mom gave me comfort.
About 8 years ago I was the designated coordinator for The DAISY Award at a local hospital I was employed at. I heard countless stories of amazing nurses, and the impact nurses would have on patients and families’ lives. I never thought I would be in a situation like some of the stories I heard but that changed on February 27th. During one of the worst days of my life, God introduced my family to Anthony Wreggelsworth and he will leave an imprint on our hearts forever. Anthony was the amazing nurse who took care of my mom during her final moments. My mom had many surgeries over the years and had been dealing with a lot recently health wise. She went into the hospital thinking she had the flu, and things went south with her health very rapidly. To say Anthony went above and beyond taking care of her was an understatement. She was very critically ill, and he was with her every step of the way. I don’t think he sat down once during his shift other than to make the phone calls to the doctors. My dad and I asked Anthony to be honest with us about what was happening with my mom, and he did exactly as we asked. During the worst night of my life so far, Anthony provided a sense of calm during the storm. I will never forget how he talked to us in such a calming tone when everything going on around us was so intense. He would take time to answer every single question. At one point he was squeezing fluids by hand to get them flowing into my mom faster, all while trying to explain what was going on to my dad and I and answering the many questions we had. I could go on for hours with many examples of moments he showed kindness, compassion, empathy, sympathy, and strength in the few short hours we spent together. But the one thing that sticks out the most is when I walked into the hallway as they took my mom off life support, and it was well after his shift was over, and he was still there. Seeing Anthony in the moment and knowing how much he cared enough to stick around to try to help save my mom gave me comfort. I can honestly never thank Anthony enough and I wanted to hug him so bad, but I just couldn’t in that moment. I really hope Anthony is selected to receive such an honorable award as the DAISY. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award than he is. The entire team that took care of my mom was simply amazing and we will never be able to thank them enough, but it is Anthony who will always hold a special place in our hearts for taking such great care of her on her last night. So, Anthony, thank you for the comfort, compassion, and kindness during the worst night of my life.