If you ask our son C, 7, what he wants to be when he grows up, his answer is immediate. "A nurse at Seattle Children's!" This kid has spent the last year being poked, prodded, imaged, and treated with chemotherapy and radiation, and this is still what he will say every time. Jeff is a huge reason why.

While all of the nurses who have treated C during his brain cancer journey are wonderful, Jeff immediately stood out for several reasons: His care for C's comfort; his care for C as a person; and his dedication to understanding C's unique condition and helping us get answers when it affects his care.

I was already planning to nominate Jeff for a DAISY Award based on our interactions with him during treatment, but I had to move forward after last week, when all of these things were made so clear again in an appointment we had in the CBDC for growth hormone stimulation testing, a next step in C's care now that he is cancer-free.

To make the IV insertion process as painless as possible for C, Jeff applied numbing cream and heat pads to no fewer than four different places and followed all of C's very detailed requests. He also sat with C even when it wasn't required by the plan for the day and asked him all about his new school, the trips he went on over the summer, and his upcoming Make-A-Wish trip to New York City. As always, Jeff was patient when C's chat with him was interspersed with questions (to me) about when he could have screen time. Jeff just gets it. This was also evident again at the end of our day of testing, when C was so anxious to get to the gift shop that he was (clearly) downplaying feeling unwell. Jeff knew just what to say to get C to hang out longer for observation and, when it was safe, wheeled him in a wheelchair to the gift shop so that he could get his long-awaited reward for a long day back in the clinic. So above and beyond, and also so helpful to me as C's mom. Again, this is just a continuation of the kind of care Jeff provided to us during C's chemotherapy and weekly visits during radiation when we were fortunate enough to have him as C's nurse. 

Just as importantly, Jeff has really stood out as a nurse with a true understanding of the endocrinology issues that C faces as a result of his tumor location. There are certain labs we need to follow and symptoms we need to watch for, and sometimes C can't fast or receive fluids the same way that other kids can. Jeff clearly is aware of these things, which saves me from having to (try to) effectively explain them when I'm already worried about C in a situation where they come up, but also very quick to help us find the right member of the care team to help make decisions about them. This came up again at the growth hormone testing last week, since I got nervous when I heard that sometimes the action taken when a child's blood pressure is low, as C's was, is to give fluids. Jeff took immediate action to contact endocrinology and also the brain tumor team to get a clear answer. That is not always something that happens so quickly or without more advocacy on my part.

Anyway, our whole family would be thrilled if Jeff were formally recognized for all that he has done to care for and - clearly - inspire C over the course of this journey so far. He is a great asset to Seattle Children's and someone we will always appreciate so much.

Note: This is Jeff's 2nd DAISY Award!