Sicily Larsen
March 2026
Sicily
Larsen
,
RN
Intensive Care Unit
Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center
Idaho Falls
,
ID
United States
Sicily helped create a calm, comfortable space that allowed those moments to unfold naturally and without interruption.
I would like to nominate Sicily for the DAISY Award for the exceptional care she provided to my 96-year-old grandmother during her time in the ICU. Sicily cared for my grandmother for several nights with kindness, attentiveness, and genuine compassion. She managed my grandmother's pain thoughtfully, answered every question with patience and clarity, and never made me feel like a nuisance. Her presence made both my grandmother and me feel cared for and at ease. On one of my grandmother's final nights, I was the only one visiting, and it became the last time she was fully lucid- joking, telling stories, and sharing memories. Sicily helped create a calm, comfortable space that allowed those moments to unfold naturally and without interruption. My grandmother later told me she gave Sicily an "A" as a nurse and was truly grateful for the care she received. Other family members also spoke highly of Sicily and the kindness and dignity she showed our grandmother. She truly deserves this recognition.

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As a daughter, I want to express my deepest appreciation for Sicily and the exceptional care she provided to my dad while he was in the ICU. Nights are often the hardest for families, as everything feels lonelier and the worry feels heavier, and I reached a point where I could no longer make good decisions without sleep. I left knowing I needed rest, but the worry was still very much there. When I returned, it was a pleasant and unexpected surprise to find my dad calm, comfortable, and genuinely happy, and to learn how Sicily had gone above and beyond to care for him during the night. My dad is 85 years old and would never think to fill out a survey or formally nominate someone, yet he kept a Post-it with her name written on it because her care mattered that much to him. The compassion, dedication, and extra effort she showed made an incredibly difficult time easier for both of us, and our family will always be grateful for her care and kindness.

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Sicily was an extraordinary nurse during one of the most critical and vulnerable moments of my life in the ICU. When I was in very bad shape, and the hospital was running low, she searched the entire hospital just to bring me a few Diet Pepsis because she knew how much it would lift my spirits. On a scale of one to ten, she was a fifteen. She not only gave me a refreshing bath, but she also sat with me as long and as often as she could to help calm me, often anticipating my needs before I had to ask. She connected with me on a personal level, sharing parts of herself to put me at ease when 1 needed comfort the most, something that is truly rare to find in a nurse given the many responsibilities and demands they carry.