CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- UVA nurse John Stumpf is described as always going above and beyond, but that’s just “John being John.” And that’s one of the many reasons he was honored with a DAISY Award.

The DAISY award is an award nurses dream to receive, and was started by a family who wanted to show their appreciation to nurses across the country after their family dealt with an autoimmune disease.

“They just always saw the compassion and care from the nursing staff that were caring for him,” said Stumpf.

Stumpf, a post-operative nurse, was awarded the award in June for his devotion to making his patients feel special and cared for.

“If there’s something I can do to help someone, I’ll do anything I can to do it,” said Stumpf.

But his passion for nursing is fueled by the staff around him.

“They really do encourage people to go above and beyond, to expand and become leaders in their areas,” said Stumpf.

The staff was just as excited as Stumpf was when he won the award.

“They kind of all collaborate getting people together, and they sort of ambush you on your unit and surprise you with it. And they really did, I had no idea it was happening,” said Stumpf.

Stumpf has been a nurse for over fifteen years, and hopes to continue inspiring not only his patients, but present and future nurses as well.

“I think the most important thing is always putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, in the patient’s shoes, in the family’s shoes, or imagining this person is one of your loved ones, someone you care for, and just treating them the way that you would want to be treated or your loved one would want to be treated in that situation,” said Stumpf.