I have been a patient of this unit for about 6 years now. This unit is a great unit and has many outstanding nurses. But most recently, I encountered a nurse deserving of a lot of recognition who should absolutely be highly considered for the DAISY Award. I would love to tell you about him, and why he is a DAISY Nurse.

I have a chronic illness, so that means a fair amount of hospitalizations which means that I have met hundreds of nurses but every now and then, I meet a person who has a significant role in my quality of care. Derek always welcomes me with a smile, which is very infectious. Which is probably the only infectious thing one is willing to catch. He greets me with a happy, positive welcome. If I'm having a hard day, all of that melts away. His positive outlook is a very rare commodity. He tells me that we are going to have a great shift and, without a doubt, always do. He also is very on top of things and his work is the same way. Always on time with my medications and keeping a schedule, which makes my life so much easier. But my absolute favorite thing about him is how personable he is. He makes me feel just like any other person. He makes me feel like a human with feelings and how some days I'm just not OK, but that is OK. He also makes sure that if I ever need something, like extra medication, he messages my doctor and does his very best to advocate for me. He makes my emotions feel valid. I don't ever have to explain myself.

I wish that there were a lot more of him in this world because then the world wouldn't be as stressful. He is so much more than just my nurse. He's a great friend, son, fiancé, etc. But most of all, he is a great human with a kind soul. He deserves the DAISY Award and all the awards in the world.