December 2025 Honoree
Lucas Kozitza, RN, BSN
Lucas Kozitza literally saved my life this year. His passion and commitment to his patients is unparalleled, and this nomination is my way of thanking this amazing nurse and human being.
In 2017, my husband and I temporarily moved to Minneapolis from Kansas so I could have a Total Pancreatectomy w/Islet Auto-Transplant (TP/IAT) surgery at Fairview. This was a complex surgery requiring close follow-up for several weeks afterward. We first met Lucas, then a young LPN, during those numerous follow-up visits. Lucas was energetic, positive, smart, warm, and funny, and we immediately trusted him as part of my care team.
Eight years went by before I saw Lucas again. I called him in May in desperate need of patient care and an advocate. Lucas, now an RN and TP/IAT Program Coordinator, immediately sprang into action with the same passion and commitment I'd witnessed almost a decade ago.
I explained I'd had progressively worsening stomach issues for three years and, by late April, had such severe abdominal problems that I couldn't eat solid foods and was consuming only liquids. I was anemic, malnourished, and weeks away from my body shutting down completely. My GI team in Kansas ultimately decided my case was too complex and sent me back to Fairview for help.
Lucas explained the TP/IAT program had expanded and he now collaborated closely with general, colorectal, and other specialty surgeons to treat individuals like me who have complications years after the surgery. He immediately presented my case to the TP/IAT panel of multidisciplinary doctors and nurses; coordinated with my GI NP to order tests that I could start in Kansas; and scheduled a telehealth consult with a wonderful general surgeon followed by an in-person visit a month later.
Five days before we planned to drive to Minneapolis, my husband had a bicycle accident resulting in a skull fracture, C-1 fracture, and cranial fluid leak, which required a six-hour surgery to repair. Our daughter ended up putting me on a plane and had to remain in Kansas to care for him until he was cleared to travel and join me. I was alone and sicker than I've ever been.
Thank goodness for Lucas! He stepped in for my missing family and went above and beyond in his care. He continued to advocate for me and connected me with an incredible colorectal surgeon, who scheduled a total colectomy with end ileostomy.
He checked on me as I spent the month finishing tests, doing pre-op visits, and getting iron infusions. He also helped me get prescriptions that had expired from Kansas and offered any support I needed until the surgery, including providing advice on short-term rentals and helping me navigate the Fairview urgent care system when my hand became severely infected not long before a long holiday weekend.
His compassion didn't end there. He visited me the day after surgery and, even though he's extremely busy, he had lunch with me in my hospital room on two occasions with a laptop in tow. We discussed the difficulties of long-term patient care for TP/IAT patients and how dedicated he is to the continued evolution of the Fairview program so we have a place to go when needed. It made me respect him and his dedication to his patients even more!
I have encountered countless nurses over the last decade, and none have demonstrated the level of care, compassion, and expertise that Lucas brings to his patients. He's an incredible nurse, and my family and I truly believe I would not be here without him.
I know this took several months to submit, but my recovery was long, and the brain fog has finally lifted enough to properly put my gratitude into words.
In 2017, my husband and I temporarily moved to Minneapolis from Kansas so I could have a Total Pancreatectomy w/Islet Auto-Transplant (TP/IAT) surgery at Fairview. This was a complex surgery requiring close follow-up for several weeks afterward. We first met Lucas, then a young LPN, during those numerous follow-up visits. Lucas was energetic, positive, smart, warm, and funny, and we immediately trusted him as part of my care team.
Eight years went by before I saw Lucas again. I called him in May in desperate need of patient care and an advocate. Lucas, now an RN and TP/IAT Program Coordinator, immediately sprang into action with the same passion and commitment I'd witnessed almost a decade ago.
I explained I'd had progressively worsening stomach issues for three years and, by late April, had such severe abdominal problems that I couldn't eat solid foods and was consuming only liquids. I was anemic, malnourished, and weeks away from my body shutting down completely. My GI team in Kansas ultimately decided my case was too complex and sent me back to Fairview for help.
Lucas explained the TP/IAT program had expanded and he now collaborated closely with general, colorectal, and other specialty surgeons to treat individuals like me who have complications years after the surgery. He immediately presented my case to the TP/IAT panel of multidisciplinary doctors and nurses; coordinated with my GI NP to order tests that I could start in Kansas; and scheduled a telehealth consult with a wonderful general surgeon followed by an in-person visit a month later.
Five days before we planned to drive to Minneapolis, my husband had a bicycle accident resulting in a skull fracture, C-1 fracture, and cranial fluid leak, which required a six-hour surgery to repair. Our daughter ended up putting me on a plane and had to remain in Kansas to care for him until he was cleared to travel and join me. I was alone and sicker than I've ever been.
Thank goodness for Lucas! He stepped in for my missing family and went above and beyond in his care. He continued to advocate for me and connected me with an incredible colorectal surgeon, who scheduled a total colectomy with end ileostomy.
He checked on me as I spent the month finishing tests, doing pre-op visits, and getting iron infusions. He also helped me get prescriptions that had expired from Kansas and offered any support I needed until the surgery, including providing advice on short-term rentals and helping me navigate the Fairview urgent care system when my hand became severely infected not long before a long holiday weekend.
His compassion didn't end there. He visited me the day after surgery and, even though he's extremely busy, he had lunch with me in my hospital room on two occasions with a laptop in tow. We discussed the difficulties of long-term patient care for TP/IAT patients and how dedicated he is to the continued evolution of the Fairview program so we have a place to go when needed. It made me respect him and his dedication to his patients even more!
I have encountered countless nurses over the last decade, and none have demonstrated the level of care, compassion, and expertise that Lucas brings to his patients. He's an incredible nurse, and my family and I truly believe I would not be here without him.
I know this took several months to submit, but my recovery was long, and the brain fog has finally lifted enough to properly put my gratitude into words.
Thank you, Lucas, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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