Jill Dattilio is an exceptionally warm, caring, and intelligent nurse who we have had the privilege to know for almost three years now. She has provided outstanding care to my son, A. My son has been a frequent patient of the hospital for the past 11 years and has been cared for by hundreds of nurses throughout his medical journey. Jill stands out among all the nurses we have met and is a "Superstar"!
My son is now 15 years old and has had an auto-immune kidney disease called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) since he was four. He has spent over half his life on dialysis. His kidneys completely failed when he was six years old and he is now living on his second transplanted kidney, but not without serious complications. His life is difficult in so many ways because of this horrible disease. We don't know how long his transplanted kidney will last before FSGS destroys it again. He has undergone countless medical treatments, more than any child his age should have to endure and spent months at a time at the hospital. He has received over 50 weekly five-hour long treatments in the Apheresis Unit with Jill as his nurse using the Liposorber treatment to help reduce the severity of his FSGS disease, for which there is no cure.
When we think of Jill, we think of a nurse who is highly attentive to A's needs; caring, intelligent, reassuring, and able to adapt to changing medical needs during the course of an Apheresis treatment. During one of A's routine treatments, he suddenly and unexpectedly spiked a very high fever and was shaking uncontrollably and having trouble breathing. Jill paged the doctors who came within minutes, and they were issuing directions 'left and right' to Jill. She remained calm and focused and provided excellent care for my son while needing to multi-task to fulfill the requests of the physicians.
My son needed oxygen, then he needed IV medication administered, then he needed a chest X-ray. All in less than 30 minutes. Jill worked diligently to care for my son while keeping him (and mom) calm. She then also coordinated with the Admitting Department to relocate my son to an inpatient unit. This is just one of the many examples of Jill's 'super-hero' work ethic. I should also not fail to mention that the use of the Liposorber machine in itself requires a high level of skill and careful monitoring.
In addition to being a fabulous RN for the past 17 years, Jill also balances being a terrific wife and mom to her two young daughters. It is an honor to support someone as humble and deserving as Jill for the DAISY Award.