Samantha was my dad’s nurse, and we would like to nominate her for the DAISY Award. She helped us understand the medical terminology spoken to us by the NP’s and answered any additional questions we had. If she wasn’t equipped or shouldn’t be answering our questions, she made sure to triage the questions to someone who could help answer them. She always provided a plan for the day, so we knew what to expect and could make plans accordingly. The information she provided for planning allowed us to ensure we were refueled and at our best to support our loved one. She ensured that my mom and I were taking care of ourselves, eating, drinking, and sleeping, so we could be our best to support my dad's recovery.

Samantha provided information based on her experience with previous cases. For example, she informed us that a majority of patients experienced significant improvement after the chest tubes were removed. Therefore, we decided to try to manage their pain ahead of their removal. Another example of this was when my dad was highly frustrated and couldn’t find a comfortable position. Sam came up with a list of suggestions for him so he could try different options to see what worked best for him in that moment when he truly didn’t know!

We leaned heavily on Sam’s wealth of knowledge from being a nurse for so many years and seeing so many cases. She maintained a positive attitude and always kept us informed about his progress. This was critical because in that moment, it was so hard to see him in this state and in pain, and we didn’t feel like he was doing well at all! She just kept the atmosphere bright for all of us. She even asked friendly questions, like where we were from, and that allowed us the opportunity to think outside of our heart surgery for a moment. Sam also tailored her way of interacting with us, depending on who she was talking to at the time. She perfectly picked up on my dad's desire to keep things lighthearted, but when she spoke with us, it was very different, coming from a deeper perspective. She also made us feel very comfortable during shift change, and explained who would be working with my dad. She helped us get oriented to the hospital and recommended various options for the cafeteria and parking. She did all of this, in addition to her required job duties, always taking the very best care of my dad by ensuring all his levels, meds, etc, were good.

While she was in fact “his nurse”, Sam really went above and beyond for both my family and my dad. I imagine that this must have been exhausting, but she did it so well, and we truly felt like she was a member of the family, helping us work through this difficult time and get him into recovery. You could feel that she loves her job, her unit, and her patients. The process was significantly easier because we had Sam as our nurse. I truly don’t know if we’d be able to do it without her! Thank you, Sam!