I recently returned to visit and give a gift of thanks to my doctor and nursing staff. I contacted Lauren, and she helped facilitate the visit. The first sign of her willingness to go above and beyond. I felt that the empathy, compassion, knowledge, and professionalism shown by her needed to be acknowledged, so I asked another nurse how to do that. She suggested I nominate Lauren for the DAISY Award. I was not aware of such an honor, as I had never needed this type of care before. The entire staff was great, but the character shown by Lauren sticks out to me and my family. 

Nurses have a tough job, as they need to wear many hats. Caregiver, listener, medicine provider, security guard, peacemaker, and all-around great person - for which they are paid only for two of the above. My appreciation for nurses and support staff has grown tremendously since my recent health event. I was taken into the Emergency Room via ambulance in cardiac distress. I woke up a few hours later in the Cardiac ICU unit. Not knowing exactly where I was, Lauren came in, told me what had happened and where I was, and reassured me that I was going to be OK. In my opinion, that's what nurses do, but that was not even the start of what was to come. I was in the ICU unit for 10 days or so, heavily medicated, and at one point in an induced coma to try and save my life. In that condition, I was in and out of conscience for minutes, hours, and sometimes days at a time, and it seemed every time I would wake up, Lauren was there, asking the normal questions- how are you? What’s your pain? Is there anything I can get for you? They seemed sincere, not part of the job. Always leaving me with a “you’re going to be OK.” 

When you are in that condition, you are thinking about whether or not you are going to live- family is secondary only because there is nothing you can do. This is where I believe Lauren went way above in her duties, delivering empathy, compassion, and professionalism. Nurses may be the closest thing to angels on earth- and good caring ones make it harder to tell the difference. With uncertainty about my condition, doctors suggested that family members come and say goodbye, which leads to additional duties for nurses. Too many visitors, loud voices, family disagreements, and those who were not welcome along with emotions running high, making nurses become peacemakers and consolers. This, again, is not what they get paid to do. But realizing the trauma of such an event is hard on children and spouses, Lauren quickly made the decision to go above and beyond. Reassuring my support team that it was dark, but the light was coming- and she was going to make sure I was OK.  She treated my family as though it was her own- answering questions, consoling, listening, reassuring, and understanding the concerns. 

This is where her extraordinary empathy and compassion were demonstrated. She could have done her job, went home, and been unchanged by the outcome, but she didn’t. She was there to assist any way she could, talking to the doctors, other nurses- making sure I would be taken care of once she went home. Another clear example of not only her compassion but her professionalism. All of this, keeping in mind that I was not her only patient- although she made me feel that way. 

As my recovery continued, so did the support - for both me and my family- not only until the day I left the hospital, but for days after. Checking to make sure there were no questions, issues, and to see how I was feeling.  I am 57 years old and have NEVER received the professionalism and compassion we received from Lauren. I have owned businesses, managed businesses, analyzed operations, and worked for companies and never found the commitment, empathy, compassion, knowledge, or professionalism that Lauren demonstrated. Please consider her for recognition, as I think she exemplifies and demonstrates the standard for her fellow nurses and care staff.  Thank you.