I am quite familiar with the DAISY Award. I have worked & continue to work alongside stupendous nurses who provide excellent patient care on a daily basis. But as a patient myself, I have never been inclined to nominate a nurse for their standard of care. You could say I am a pretty tough critic. That is, until I met Gloria.

I was admitted to UW Hospital after an insufferable & daunting 2 weeks of steadily progressing paralysis, weakness, and pain throughout my body. We still had no clue what was happening after a previous ER visit and seeing my primary physician.

At the time of admission, I was unable to support much weight on my legs and my breathing was beginning to be compromised.  The pain I was experiencing was debilitating.

After multiple diagnostic tests, it was determined I had Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which is an autoimmune disorder that attacks your peripheral nervous system.

I was to start MG (intravenous immunoglobulin) treatments, which would be a total of 5 daily infusions that I would be inpatient for in the Neurology unit.

This is when Gloria came into our lives. I say "our" lives because she not only provided amazing care to me, but she was also an unwavering pillar of strength to my husband. He needed just as much reassurance as I did during all of this. We were doing our best to navigate our way through foreign waters, and she guided our ship every inch of the way without faltering.

I think for 3 out of our 6 days inpatient, we had Gloria as our nurse, and thankfully so.

She was compassionate, empathetic, and extremely intuitive. She educated us in great detail & outlined expectations in a way that we were able to comprehend regarding every aspect of my care. There were never any surprises. She gave me a shoulder to cry on and the confidence to keep moving forward.

She did research and collaborated with her counterparts in order to come up with the best care plan for my unique symptoms relating to this illness. It affects everyone differently, and she took it upon herself to ensure the most exceptional patient care experience based on my personal patient care needs. This was HUGE as my road to recovery began.
 
Before being discharged, I became very emotional. Gloria asked if I wanted to take a walk with her. She then asked what my concerns were about going home. I simply looked at her and said, "I can't take my lighthouse with me." We both shed a tear or two that day, but she reassured me that I would be okay. That I could tackle this and conquer it & that I was stronger than I gave myself credit for.

It was an act of divinity that she was placed in our path during our stay on D6/4. In my humble opinion, Gloria deserves the moon and the stars in addition to the DAISY Award. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, sweet Gloria, for shining your bright light on a very dark moment in our lives. We are better people for knowing you and will be forever grateful for the dedication & passion you harbor for your profession.

"WE," as your family at UW Hospital & Clinics, are extremely fortunate to call you one of ours.

You are the epitome of REMARKABLE and a true leader & exemplary role model to our industry as a whole.