Maria Brosselt, RN

In October 2025, I was admitted to the oncology department as a patient in excruciating pain. I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, four broken ribs, and four fractured vertebrae. My condition was extremely poor and life-threatening due to alarming blood test results.

From the beginning, Nurse Maria gave me courage with her compassionate, caring manner. At first, I had to come to terms with being completely helpless. There was a risk of paralysis, so I was only allowed to lie down and had to be moved with the utmost care. I needed to be fed and washed by others.

Nurse Maria sensed how desperate I was. With every look, every touch, and every encouraging word, she showed me that there was a way forward and that everyone on the ward would do everything they could to help me regain my strength.

Nurse Maria has a gentle and refreshing sense of humor. She is quietly but firmly assertive and a patient, supportive mentor to new nursing staff. Without Nurse Maria, there were many moments when I might have lost courage.

She was also the one who shaved my hair, and even in that difficult situation, her lightness and warmth helped take away some of the heaviness of the moment.

Both my husband and my mother felt relieved whenever they met Maria, because she gave them a sense of reassurance and safety as well.

I would like to emphasize that there are many other nurses on the ward who also provided me with outstanding care, not to mention the doctors, whom I trust completely.

Nurse Maria left a particularly lasting impression on me because of her deeply humane, kind, and compassionate nature.

I am therefore very grateful that you have introduced the DAISY Award, and I sincerely hope that Nurse Maria will be nominated.