Nicole Lombardo, RN

I met Niki for the first time when she was taking care of my husband in the ICU unit at Hackensack University Hospital. The ICU doctors had spoken to me about the unfortunate turn that my husband had taken. They had done everything they could to save his life. From the minute I met Niki, she was very caring and compassionate, and I explained that my kids and family members would be coming to say their final goodbyes. I also shared that I had three granddaughters who were very close to my husband, and that our kids would need resources on how to explain the situation to them in a way they could understand, given their young ages. Immediately, Niki made sure our final hours with my husband were comforting, peaceful, supportive, and respectful. We were allowed to hold his hand, play his favorite music, and have our final conversations and special family time together. Due to his immune compromised condition this was the first time we were able to do this since January 2026 when he was first diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic t-cell lymphoma. Niki also made pillowcases with my husband's handprints and put his EKG strips in small bottles filled with sand for each grandchild to hopefully give them some comfort. Niki also emailed my daughter resources to help the kids process the loss of their beloved Papa.

My husband passed away peacefully with my two kids and me by his side. We prayed, shared beautiful memories, and told stories about our life together. We played his favorite music and spent my husband's last fourteen hours together as a family with love, respect, compassion, and care. What a beautiful gift Niki and the ICU staff gave us. For this reason, I would like to nominate Niki Lombardo for the DAISY Award as my angel that day. She was a complete stranger who became part of our family all because of her big heart. She immediately knew exactly what we needed to help us get through the most difficult day of our family’s life. Thank you, Niki, and the amazing ICU staff from the bottom of our hearts for going above and beyond. We couldn’t ask for a more deserving nurse to receive this award.