My father was a recent patient in Open Heart Recovery. Unfortunately, my dad's time in OHRU was short, as my family made the decision to provide my father comfort care. While this was an incredibly hard decision for my family, I would be remiss if I didn't tell the amazing story of the nurse who gave my father peace in his final hours.

Jo Beth, who took my father the day he passed, was at home during the time he was transferred to OHRU. She discovered there was a need for a patient to pass from this earth, and his family needed a nurse to take him. She immediately got childcare for her two young boys, and she came to the hospital to care for my father. She placed her own family on hold so she could pour love out of her heart for a family in need.

If that's all this nurse did, I could probably stop writing here, but this was literally the tip of the iceberg. Jo Beth continually juggled taking care of my father, taking care of my family, coordinating care and comfort with the other nurses, and helping to make sure my entire family was fed when food was brought to the unit by one of the physicians. She did all of these things without eating herself or leaving my father's side.

She continually made sure my mother had warm blankets; she made sure I was comfortable with all the decisions being made, and she went out of her way to comfort two teenage boys who were losing their grandfather. At one point, she left my dad's room so she could find the 16-year-old to make sure he was okay.

I wish I could truly find the appropriate words to describe what she did for my father and my family, but there are literally no words or feelings big enough to encompass the impact she had on all of us. If there was ever a nurse who deserved the recognition for giving the kindness and compassion the DAISY Award stands for, it is certainly this nurse.