Dan, aka "nurse extraordinaire", is an exemplary nurse in every way. As our primary reference point for Sick Kids as a whole initially, he set the bar incredibly high for the professional but significantly compassionate care he provided my grandson, my son and his wife, myself and the rest of our family. We heard tragic news from the medical staff on Friday indicating our grandson has an inoperable and highly aggressive brain tumor. Into that nightmare steps Dan. His care and rapport with my 5-year-old grandson were quickly established and resulted in very substantially reducing the fear this little 5-year-old was feeling with all that had happened in the previous few days, with so many other healthcare professionals involved. He reset my grandson's trust in those looking after him. His care for us as a family was impeccable- honest but gentle and informative. He created an environment conducive to us handling the ugliness of the prognosis well. He was sensitive to our needs and intuitive as to our ways of dealing with the stresses and challenges involved. That insight and willingness to engage with our feelings and ways of dealing with the onslaught of information generated a relationship that was tremendously beneficial for us when we were hurting so badly. A relationship we did and still do value so highly. In fact, we miss him while he takes some well-deserved time off. We hope we can reconnect over the 6 weeks we will be in Toronto. Dan made us feel like we were the only patient and family he was caring for. I cannot recommend Dan any higher. He is a testimony, a "poster nurse" for all your tremendous hospital brings to so many hurting children and their families.