COEUR d’ALENE — The night before a patient was to have brain surgery, nurse Lisa Rubinsky stayed up with him to let him know things would be OK.

"I remember him," Rubinsky said. "He was an amazing man. I followed up with the doctor and he did really well through surgery. He was easy to talk to and his family was really nice and so supportive."

That family truly appreciated the way Rubinsky cared for their dad.

"Her calm, comforting demeanor and sense of humor put us at ease," the family wrote in a letter to Kootenai Health. "She is a true patient advocate and extraordinary nurse providing patient and family-centered care. Lisa made a sad and difficult time more tolerable for us and Kootenai is fortunate to have her on staff."

It was this exemplary moment and show of compassion that brought Rubinsky's loved ones and colleagues to the ortho/neuro unit Tuesday morning to surprise her with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

Many were close to tears as Chief Nursing Officer Joan Simon read the family's nomination letter aloud.

"I would suspect that, reading this story, this is something you do routinely," Simon said to Rubinsky. "Even though the family identified it as being extraordinary, this is probably how you care for your patients."

"I like people," Rubinsky replied with a sweet and humble smile.

Her parents, Andy and Red, have known about the surprise for a little while and could not be prouder.

"She's great," Andy said. "She's our one and only child and she always wanted to be a good kid. We're really proud of her."

Lisa's ability to stand out began before her time at Kootenai Health. Lagonda McDonald, a regular customer of the Blue Plate Café where Lisa worked for several years with her mom, contacted The Press to share how this young lady left a big impression on her and other regulars.

"She is just real bubbly, sweet, kind, everybody just loved her," McDonald said. "She's what a lot of us wish kids were nowadays that we don't see enough of. Her parents obviously did an excellent job."

Lisa said she enjoys talking with her patients, just as she enjoyed visiting with customers when she was in food service.

"I took the time to get to know my customers, make them laugh, just change their day," she said.

Lisa received a DAISY pin, a framed certificate, a bouquet of daisies and cinnamon rolls as well as a small sculpture hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. The sculpture is titled "A Healer's Touch" and depicts the embracing relationship nurses have with patients.

“I appreciate it," she said. "I love the people here and I love working every day. I have an amazing team to come to work to."

The DAISY program came to Kootenai Health in 2012 at the suggestion of a nurse who learned of it at a conference. It was created by the DAISY Foundation — DAISY stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System — which was founded by the family of auto-immune disease victim J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died in 1999, and the care he received while in the hospital inspired his loved ones to found DAISY in his honor while recognizing the work of nurses everywhere.

The DAISY Award program is now in more than 2,000 health care facilities throughout the U.S. and internationally. Nurses are nominated by patients, staff, colleagues and others who recognize their way of caring for patients is consistently exceptional.

Lisa is Kootenai Health's 37th nurse to earn the DAISY.

"There are hundreds of thousands of nurses and at Kootenai Health, we have great support staff," Lisa said. "I’ve worked with all amazing nurses. I've never worked with a below-average nurse, so it’s a competitive thing to have. The fact that the family thought that my care meant that much is really something."