I have MS, and I took my husband to the Emergency Department at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital. He was experiencing discomfort in his right arm. A month earlier, he was inpatient for several days for a hypertensive emergency, so I wanted to get him checked out, in case this was serious. He was an ED admit after labs showed his cardiac enzymes were elevated.

The next day, he had a heart cath, which showed five diseased blood vessels that urgently needed to be replaced. The plan now was to transfer him to Henry Ford Main for bypass surgery. Before his Heart Catheterization, I was able to meet and talk with the nurse taking care of him. She was such a calming presence for us with her knowledge and how much she loved her job. She told us she loves being a nurse, and it showed. She was very helpful with information on what to expect with the Heart Cath.

When my husband had the heart catheterization, it was quickly determined that a stent wouldn't be enough to fix his cardiac issues. After the catheterization, he was taken back to his room while I waited to hear the results. A tech came and took me back to the cath lab. The pictures of the vessels of his heart showed years of disease. At this point, I was in shock at how bad it was. I had pictures on my phone that the doctor had taken of his video coverage on his monitor. I headed back to his room, taking in the news. When I returned, I was overwhelmed with information I wasn't prepared for, and I'm sure it showed. I mentioned that the doctor in the Cath Lab took pictures with my phone, but I couldn't remember everything he told me.

Mary asked if she could show us the heart pictures on my phone. She explained each blood vessel and provided some education about his condition. She also let us know what to expect with transportation. She offered to bring me a cup of tea, which she knew would be a comfort. As she was leaving the room to check on another patient, she turned back to me and said, "Don't go anywhere. I get off at 7:30 pm, and I want to take you out in a wheelchair. It's too far of a walk for you right now." This was around 7:00 pm, and I was grateful she offered.

She came back as promised and had a wheelchair to take me to my car. She collapsed my walker so I could hold onto it. While on the elevator going down, another nurse offered to push my walker, so she took it from the elevator to my car. I thanked her for her assistance as she left. I asked her what her last name was while she stayed to put my walker in the trunk. She explained that she has a long name that's difficult to say, so she's simply Mary F. I even took a picture of her name badge because I didn't want to lose her name.

I knew then I wanted to nominate her for the DAISY Award. Mary is a great representative of a truly remarkable nurse at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital.