This is a particularly rough time for everyone in my family, and the best way we know how to show my dad support is to be at the hospital every single day from the beginning to the end of visiting hours. It can be quite annoying having a bunch of family members in an ICU room- I'm sure it doesn't do the nurses many favors if people are in the way or if they're constantly causing stimulation to a patient that just needs to rest and recover, but Louie has always been so understanding and gentle with all of us. We are all extremely anxious people, but everyday for those 3 days, Louie was constantly reassuring us and putting our minds at ease. It was as if he had 5 patients, not 1. He would come into the room and let us know everything he is doing, whether it is replacing/decreasing potassium, repositioning my dad, cleaning my dad, checking his fluids, etc. He would also constantly be updating us with my dad's lab results, his level of sedation, when the respiratory therapists were coming, etc., which I really appreciated because it made me feel like I was in the loop and actually a part of my dad's care. Something else I noticed and really appreciated is when he is doing oral care, he would have to suction, and my dad would sometimes gag, prompting Louie to apologize multiple times. This simple apology shows just how much he cares and how much he just wants my dad to be okay. When my uncle was shaving my dad's beard, he was also right there holding the towel under my dad's chin and wiping his face afterwards. During his 3 shifts, RN also parked his computer right in front of my dad's room and was constantly monitoring his vitals and checking up on him. 

He also mentioned that he read up on my dad's rare inflammatory muscle disease to get a better understanding of what his condition is. He asked questions about how it initially presented, how old my dad was at the time, etc. I know that knowing the answers to these questions will also allow him to better serve patients with similar conditions in the future. He was also readily available to answer any and all questions that we may have had. He was of great help when I had questions about dealing with tracheostomies, which may be necessary for my dad in the near future. My intubated dad, who is always going in and out of sleep, also seems to recognize how good this nurse is. He would tell us that when the family members aren't there, before visiting hours start, he would come at the beginning of his shift and just hold my dad's hand. He even went so far as to write "get pizza for Louie" on his little sheet of paper that he uses to communicate with us. Louie truly stands out. He has gone above and beyond in these three shifts and has been nothing short of outstanding in his commitment to the well-being of his patients. The way he gives care has been a great example of exceptional nursing, and I whole-heartedly believe that he deserves this DAISY award. I remember thinking that he treated my dad as if he were his own dad, and it made me feel so, so thankful and brought me great peace when I left for the day, knowing that I was leaving him in truly capable and caring hands.