Dana Stoltz
January 2013
Dana
Stoltz
,
RN
PICU, Riley Hospital for Children
Indiana University Health
Indianapolis
,
IN
United States

 

 

 

Dana Stoltz was singled out for recognition by a fellow nurse, whose family came to know and appreciate Stoltz for her kindness and compassion during end-of-life care for an infant. A Facebook post by the infant's mother reaffirmed the quality of care that Dana delivered and drove home the point that the smallest of details can provide enormous reassurance, even in the most tragic circumstances.

After receiving a package in the mail from Dana, the mother told her Facebook friends:

"This nurse is extremely special to us as she stayed in the room with us as (our child) took his last breath. As we kissed him and handed him to her, she promised she would take good care of him. She did just that and more."

After bathing the infant and dressing him in an outfit from the family, Dana clipped a lock of hair and kept it for the family. She later placed it in a handmade box and sent it with a card that said she was blessed to have cared for their child and admired their strength in the face of adversity.

"After experiencing something like we did, she knew exactly what I would have wanted," the mother wrote. "This gift was the most amazing thing we could have ever received at exactly the perfect time. It touched our lives FOREVER."