I am writing on behalf of my entire family (ten of us total) to nominate Wes Werner for the DAISY Award. My younger sister, M, received the very best of compassionate care in the Northside Cherokee ICU. We lost M, and nothing can fill the hole in our family. But this extraordinarily difficult time was eased so much by Wes. He was M’s nurse for a total of five of those days, and we would frequently see him teaching or leading rounds on other days when he would greet us with a smile and wave without missing a beat. The students he is leading and mentoring have shining examples of how to model their own patient approaches. 

Wes was M’s first nurse when she was admitted to the ICU. Shock, fear, and uncertainty are all common emotions when you see a loved one in that position. Wes was so calm and soothing, consistently going above and beyond to offer information and comfort. He answered every question about hospital practices, what the numbers on M’s monitors meant, how we could best help care for her, what she might be feeling or experiencing, which physicians could provide answers to specialist questions – anything and everything. We asked so many questions, trying to understand and looking for glimmers of hope. 

Wes checked in constantly and his presence lifted the spirits of everyone in the room. As we took turns sitting with M, the first question from the newly arriving family member was, “Is Wes here today?” followed by, “What do his pins say today?” (My favorite was “Urine good hands”) My youngest sister and I had a couple of running jokes with Wes, easing anxiety, and offering something to look forward to every day as we trudged up to the ICU. He is just so reassuring and made a point to build a relationship with us as a family. Wes even had two large boxes of snacks sent in for us as we spent long hours at M’s side. 

When it became clear M would not recover, Wes’s empathy and sadness on behalf of our loss meant a great deal to us. M was transferred to a regular floor on the last day of her life. After she had passed, Wes got word and hurried up to see us and offer us his condolences, but we had left at that point. He said a prayer over her and then made a point of calling my mother on his own cell phone to offer words of comfort, telling us we were “such a great family” and had done all we could for M, that she passed surrounded by those she loved. Knowing that M and our family had made an impression on a professional who has seen it all as an EMT, ER Nurse, and ICU nurse meant a lot to us. 

I’ve tried to fully convey what Wes meant to our family and how he eased our pain and grief at the worst moment of our lives. I'm not sure mere words can cover it, so let me say this: Wes, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making M’s last days as comfortable as possible. The relationship you built with us as a family, the confidence we had in you, and the care you provided us eased a lot of suffering and allowed us to just focus on M. We will forever be grateful for your professionalism, sense of humor, and big heart.