Patrick Azzara
December 2019
Patrick
Azzara
,
BSN, RN
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
,
PA
United States
Patrick has recently been caring for a long-term critically ill 10-year-old patient with end-stage organ failure. Being able to articulate all the ways Patrick has touched this child's life is not even possible. Patrick developed a special and heartwarming bond with the patient that has been recognized by the entire PICU team.
Patrick is often the bedside nurse who cares for him, but when he is not, he makes sure to stop by and spend time with him on his breaks. If you have walked past his room in the past 175 days of his stay, you will notice the beautiful murals of Pokémon characters that Patrick draws on the door. These pictures bring him so much joy and give him something wonderful to look at as he lays in his hospital bed. Patrick has also made Pokémon characters and placed them all over the room for him to find. This is only one example of the distraction methods Patrick creates to help him get through bad days.
Patrick can often be found late at night, sitting with him watching movies and playing video games. He loves to feel like he and Patrick are breaking the rules as Patrick lets him stay up past his bedtime doing mischievous things. When he's having a bad day, he asks the bedside nurse to please call Patrick and see if he can come to his room for a little while. Patrick never hesitates to come to his rescue as soon as he has a free moment. When he knows Patrick is coming to work, he watches the clock and keeps his nerf gun in his bed, waiting for Patrick to walk into his room so he can shoot him. When Patrick gets shot with the nerf gun, he theatrically reacts, which sends him into a beautiful belly laugh.
Taking care of long-term, critically ill children is very challenging, to say the least. Our hearts ache for these beautiful kids who are unable to enjoy life outside of these walls. Procedures and illnesses have become a daily routine for them. Having nurses like Patrick who come in and go above and beyond to make their lives a little special deserves recognition. I believe the DAISY Award is designed to acknowledge and thank nurses for doing what they do best, and there is no more deserving nurse than Patrick Azzara. Thank you, Patrick, for being his hero.
Patrick is often the bedside nurse who cares for him, but when he is not, he makes sure to stop by and spend time with him on his breaks. If you have walked past his room in the past 175 days of his stay, you will notice the beautiful murals of Pokémon characters that Patrick draws on the door. These pictures bring him so much joy and give him something wonderful to look at as he lays in his hospital bed. Patrick has also made Pokémon characters and placed them all over the room for him to find. This is only one example of the distraction methods Patrick creates to help him get through bad days.
Patrick can often be found late at night, sitting with him watching movies and playing video games. He loves to feel like he and Patrick are breaking the rules as Patrick lets him stay up past his bedtime doing mischievous things. When he's having a bad day, he asks the bedside nurse to please call Patrick and see if he can come to his room for a little while. Patrick never hesitates to come to his rescue as soon as he has a free moment. When he knows Patrick is coming to work, he watches the clock and keeps his nerf gun in his bed, waiting for Patrick to walk into his room so he can shoot him. When Patrick gets shot with the nerf gun, he theatrically reacts, which sends him into a beautiful belly laugh.
Taking care of long-term, critically ill children is very challenging, to say the least. Our hearts ache for these beautiful kids who are unable to enjoy life outside of these walls. Procedures and illnesses have become a daily routine for them. Having nurses like Patrick who come in and go above and beyond to make their lives a little special deserves recognition. I believe the DAISY Award is designed to acknowledge and thank nurses for doing what they do best, and there is no more deserving nurse than Patrick Azzara. Thank you, Patrick, for being his hero.