DAISY Award

Over the past six years, I have spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital due to a chronic life-threatening illness. For three of these admissions, I have been fortunate enough to be under the care of the excellent nurses on Davis 12.

 My first admission lasted for a few weeks. During this stay, Zohra Azizi became my night shift primary nurse on Davis 12. Zohra is a remarkable nurse who is kind and gentle yet an assertive and a relentless advocate. She is thorough and knowledgeable in her care and compassionate and empathetic in nature. She has high standards of excellence, is always professional, and shows good judgement. She is calm, reserved, soft-spoken, and humble. Above all else, perhaps her greatest attributes are her abilities to make me feel comforted and cared for.

Each admission, Zohra has remembered not only my name and medical needs, but also details and accomplishments of my personal and professional life. She has taken the time to get to know me. She is very easy to talk to and is an excellent communicator who will sit and chat with me as if we are friends. During my first admission, she even made a point to stay in the room with me any time my family left to go to the cafeteria or make a phone call because she knew I was uncomfortable being alone. Her kindness makes me feel comfortable in light of a discouraging hospital stay.

Not having to worry is the greatest gift a nurse can give her patient. Zohra's attention to detail never goes unnoticed. She plans ahead and is always prepared and organized. I never have to worry about getting my medications on time, whether or not my doctor will be contacted right away if I ask for him, or even if my husband will have a pillow and blanket for the night. Zohra is always one step ahead, taking care of me as if I were family.

While I have had many incredible nurses at UC Davis, Zohra Azizi remains one of the best nurses I have ever had. She constantly goes above and beyond the job description of a nurse by doing everything in her power to make my stay as easy on me as possible. She is definitely the unsung hero of Davis 12. For these reasons, I hope Zohra Azizi will be the recipient of a Daisy Award, she truly deserves it.