I would like to nominate Mallorie for a DAISY Award for the extraordinary compassion, advocacy, and patient-centered care she showed during one patient’s very long and difficult hospitalization.

This patient had been hospitalized for over a month with a very complex hospital course. He was such a kind person, but as time went on, everyone could see his mental health declining. Instead of looking forward to going home, he became increasingly depressed and discouraged.

One of the only things that gave him a sense of normalcy was walking daily with physical therapy and his nurses. When Mallorie cared for him, she learned how important those walks were to him. She went a step further by playing his favorite music during his walks, turning a simple therapy session into something meaningful and uplifting. Amongst all of the other things he had going on, this was his only normalcy. He began looking forward to walking every day, and everyone around him noticed a change in his mood and spirit. It brought back a spark in him during a very dark time.

Unfortunately, his condition later worsened, and he required continuous dialysis. Because the dialysis machine was not portable, he could no longer leave the room to walk. This devastated him. He felt like he was taking steps backward and feared he would become too weak to walk again. His depression worsened significantly. His one thing of normalcy was gone.

About a week later, Mallorie cared for him again. I personally watched her sit with this patient for over an hour, listening to him and talking through ways to improve his mental health. She recognized that walking was not just exercise for him — it was hope, independence, and normalcy.

Mallorie then went above and beyond by advocating relentlessly for this patient. She personally spoke with every physician involved in his care, over five providers, asking for permission for him to come off dialysis for one hour each day so he could walk. When there was pushback, she thoughtfully explained that if he needed to travel for a test, he would be temporarily disconnected anyway. Because of her persistence and advocacy, the team approved it and even placed it as a daily order so he could continue walking every day, not just when she worked.

The first time he got out of that room again, we saw something we had not seen in a long time — he smiled. He even did a little dance move in the hallway. His wife became emotional because this small act restored hope during one of the hardest periods of their lives.

The patient himself said Mallorie made him feel like he was her only patient and that he felt truly prioritized and cared for. He even asked, “Why did no one think of this before?” which truly showed how meaningful and special this act of advocacy was for him.

What may have seemed like a small idea completely changed this patient’s outlook and quality of life during one of his darkest moments.

Mallorie consistently goes far beyond task-oriented nursing care. She takes the time to learn what matters most to her patients and fights to preserve their dignity, joy, and humanity even in the middle of critical illness. She is not just an ICU nurse — she becomes a part of her patients’ families and stories. She brings normalcy back into their lives when they feel like they have none left.

Even while juggling the countless responsibilities and high demands of ICU nursing, she keeps mental health and emotional well-being at the center of her care. She makes patients and families feel seen, heard, valued, and loved during some of the hardest moments of their lives. She brings light back into situations that feel hopeless and creates moments that truly feel miraculous.

The impact she had on this patient and his family will never be forgotten. Mallorie does more than enough every single day and asks for nothing in return. She is beyond deserving of this award for the compassion, advocacy, and heart she pours into every patient she cares for.