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A patient lay dying, and her daughter was struggling to cope. Nikki Cabaniss, RN, 6 Central began caring for the patient and quickly recognized the daughter’s struggle. At one point, instinctively and tearfully, she embraced her.

That simple act had a profound impact on the daughter, who is a professional nurse herself. The daughter now describes the hug as a “precious gift” of peace, compassion, and friendship and worthy of a DAISY Award. Read the full award nomination below.

“Being a nurse, I know that we often carry the emotion burden along with a family. Often our own hearts are breaking while we hold and comfort family members. I find myself in a situation that no child ever wishes to be in. My mother has cancer, which has not responded to over a year of chemotherapy.

“We came to the Emergency Department on Christmas night and my mother was in excruciating pain. During this visit, she made the decision to become a Do Not Resuscitate/Do Not Intubate and to begin hospice care.

“As her daughter, I knew she was tired, physically, emotionally, and mentally. As a nurse, I had seen the outward physical signs that her disease was progressing in the opposite direction I had prayed.

“The next day, I was exhausted. I had been up for over 24 hours, held moms hand, and watched her be in agonizing pain. I was struggling to keep composure.

“When Nikki first introduced herself I felt a kindred spirit with her. She immediately not only started to care for my mother, but she started to take care of me, too. I wasn’t her patient, and she not did not have to take on the extra burden of caring for me too, but she did, and she did it with grace and finesse that I have never experienced before. She advocated for my mother’s medications to be changed so that it would better suit my mother’s goals. She gauged the activities of the day based off my mother’s nonverbal indicators. She would delay certain tasks if mom had dozed off because she knew that my mom was sleep deprived amongst many other things. Despite being busy, she would listen to my concerns, whether they were personal or for my mom.

“By the end of Nikki’s shift that day, I felt that my family had gained another member. She was no longer the name on the white board. She was no longer a nurse. She was our friend. We were beyond blessed and ecstatic when we had Nikki as our nurse again the following day.

“When your mother is passing away, not having to retell the story or explain small nuances make life for the patient and primary caregiver so much easier. I had held composure so well until I saw her face again. She simply asked me, ‘And how are you?’ It was a question that didn’t have a simple, brief reply. It was an answer that led to me cry, explaining to her that I had been afraid to sleep because I was afraid my mom would pass away, and I wouldn’t know it.

“Without hesitation, Nikki scooped in me a hug and cried with me. She held me and just allowed me to let the weight of my emotions fall on her shoulders. Nikki took the weight. She took it and did not even flinch. She gave me the most precious gift any colleague had ever given me. She gave me peace, compassion, and friendship.

“At this point in the process, I didn’t need anyone to explain what was next, I didn’t need fancy words or frills. What I simply needed was for someone to love my mother and care for her because for now, I needed to be a daughter, not a nurse.

“To those reading this, you may be thinking that it is expected that all nurses would respond this way or that it is our duty to care for patients and families in this manner. But, Nikki takes your mission statement to a higher level. She not only provides safe care, advocates for patients, and makes the family feel at home, she provides top-notch, high quality care! I will never be able to repay her for the love, kindness, and compassion that she provided to my mother and our family during this process. I can only imagine that she is the true example of a nurse deserving of a DAISY award.”

Nomination edited for clarity.

Know a fabulous nurse?
The Professional Nursing Staff Organization honors up to two UVA RNs each month with a DAISY Award. Nominations may be submitted by patients, patient families, visitors, and fellow UVA team members. Learn more at uvadaisy.com.