TruMerit - CGFNS

Peter Preziosi shared this powerful story after being honored with the 2026 Distinguished Graduate Award from the FSU College of Nursing’s Nole Nurse Alumni Council:

"One of my most memorable patients was a tiny, feisty six‑year‑old named Deanna.

Unlike many children on the unit, Deanna still had a full head of brown hair, cut in a short bob. She loved her Pound Puppies, had the sweetest dimples, and she smiled often—unless she was in pain during her bone marrow transplant treatments. Deanna had aplastic anemia.

Despite every treatment and every comfort we could provide, she died. I was there when she passed, feeling helpless. And days later, I attended her funeral.

As I approached her child‑sized casket in a crowded Brooklyn funeral home, her mother saw me and cried out, “There’s my baby’s nurse.”

In that moment, I understood something that has never left me: despite the limits of medical science, nursing remains with families long after a shift ends—long after a hospital stay concludes.

Our presence matters. Our humanity matters. And that responsibility—and privilege—became my lifelong 'why.'"

Nurses:
You are seen.
You are appreciated.
You make a difference in the world.
💙