I would like to say that my family has been so blessed with all of the medical Staff at St. John Tulsa who have cared for my father as he has fought for his life in the Neurotrauma ICU over the last 45 days. They have quite literally saved his life and nursed him back to health, and while there are too many to properly list the names of the fine men and women of St. John’s NTSICU team whom have served my dad and our family while being in their care, while we are thankful for all of the staff at the St. John NTSICU (floor 7 team), there is only one who I feel compelled to write to you today on their behalf - Nurse Brooke Griffin.

Brooke met us on our worst days in the NTSICU while my dad was recovering from a rare and complex brain surgery. During this time, we weren’t sure my dad would even live to see another day. Specifically, the first time I met Brooke was a couple of days into my dad’s stay, as I mentioned previously, we had had really great nurses who had cared for my dad up until this time. However, it didn’t take long for our family to notice that Brooke is special. She is a little different than all the rest. She goes the extra mile every time and is happy to do it. We were fortunate to have Brooke as my dad’s nurse for several days, and it’s really hard to put into words the kind of peace she was able to provide us in a time that was frightening and unpredictable. Brooke was not only a nurse to my father, but an advocate, a friend, a champion, and an encourager to us all. She was patient with us and constantly made sure we were in the loop, and she empowered me as an advocate for my dad in making sure his needs were always met. Simply put, in a time where everything felt unsure, unsteady, and terrifying, we felt confident that she was doing everything she could to give my dad the best shot at survival.

Brooke is confident in her abilities, she thinks outside the box, she is creative in solutions, and quick on her feet. I could talk for days on how Brooke went to battle for my dad, and in my opinion, she is largely responsible for him surviving a brain injury that could have taken him us. There was an undeniable correlation in my dad’s progress to her presence, and for that, we are honored to nominate Brooke as a candidate for the DAISY Award. Her kindness, empathy, and dedication to her patients are what I would imagine the gold standard would be.

As a law enforcement officer, I’ve had the pleasure to work with many different people in a medical field setting, and I am confident when I say I know what good nurses look like - and even what great ones look like. Brooke is exceptional. She is all things good in medicine, and is the kind of professional you pray you encounter on your worst day - especially in a hospital ICU. She is brilliant, quick on her feet, kind, compassionate, fierce, and inherently good. She has integrity, grit, and a desire to truly serve her patients. I think back to one specific moment when my dad was very touch and go, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to take him home with me. I vividly remember asking Brooke, “Is it time to panic?” She calmly responded to me and said, "No, we aren’t there yet." She kept me grounded, reassured me, and helped me find a way to fight through all the emotions to help my dad.

Throughout our time in the ICU, she was always ahead of the curve and very proactive in her care. My dad is with me today because of nurses like Brooke Griffin, who fought tooth and nail to give my dad the best chance at recovery. We are blessed to have met her, and I will forever feel indebted to her for the way she treated my dad. In summary, I wish I had the words to truly describe how special she is. What a blessing she was to our family. And what a gift she has to care for people. She’s the kind of person you meet, and you know you’re better for getting to meet them. I pray one day she knows what she meant to us in our journey. She was irreplaceable in care - a true Godsend.