I recommend a DAISY Award be given to Maria for her exceptional dedication, compassion, and professionalism on the Labor and Delivery unit. While training a new nurse, Maria demonstrated extraordinary commitment and skill while caring for me during an incredibly long and challenging (and my first!) birth experience. Maria supported me through a 42-hour induction, followed by 4 hours of active labor, and ultimately a smooth and successful delivery of my beautiful baby boy. Throughout the entire process, she remained a constant, calming presence — advocating for my needs, providing emotional support, and clearly explaining every step of care with patience and empathy. Her ability to build trust and connection made a world of difference during this physically and emotionally exhausting journey for my husband and me. Even while navigating her own challenges of teaching/training a new nurse, Maria never let me go without exceptional care. She allowed the nurse in training to approach every task with confidence, but Maria took over when needed. Her attentiveness, gentle bedside manner, and personal investment in my well-being went above and beyond our expectations. Maria exemplifies what it means to be a truly outstanding nurse. Her compassion, dedication, and drive to provide exceptional care, especially under such demanding circumstances, deserve to be recognized and celebrated. She also had such a radiating personality that made every hard and emotional experience a fun and loving/intimate moment between my family and me. Please consider Maria for this well-deserved award. She is a great nurse to have present during a difficult time, and I would not know what I would have done without her.