My son is 11 years old. Since July, we’ve been through four brain surgeries, six rounds of radiation, and started our first round of chemo out of four this week. My wife has been staying for the week. This is my first weekend staying with him in this part of the hospital. This morning, Jannet came in very quietly, trying not to wake us up, but we were already awake. She introduced herself very friendly, and very professionally took the time to talk with my son like a close friend, and could genuinely see she cared. I then realized she had been his nurse once or twice during the week he had mentioned to me on the phone, and he told me how much he liked her because she talked to him about God and his faith, and she agreed with our beliefs. So I just sat and listened to them talk this morning, and when they finished, I asked if that was the nurse he was telling me about, and he said, “Oh yeah, Dad, isn’t she awesome?” I laughed. Of course, I’ve always taught my son to be a good judge of character.

The three of us continued to talk and laugh about all types of things. My line of work, faith, all about the rest of our family, and then continued to help us get up and make sure the hallway was clear for us to make our laps. She continued walking and talking with us for about a lap. She left to check on her patient. She made a huge impression on both me and my son, my wife, but this morning and all day has truly been a breath of fresh air for me and my son, both because of her specifically taking the time to go above and beyond professionally and personally while continuing to keep us informed and make sure we had everything we’ve needed just truly appreciated her as a person and show that for a young nurse. She is truly very educated! I was surprised by how well she could communicate the information to me in detail, answer adult nerd questions, and then break it down completely differently so my son could understand and answer his own questions. Just wanted her to get the recognition she deserves! You can tell that she takes pride in her work. As well as genuinely cares for the kids. It takes a special person to balance the emotional, caring side, but she’s nailed it. I wish we could give her more than a DAISY Award! Maybe a Nobel Peace prize one day, truly, the type of person that could achieve such!