This was our nightmare Christmas. My 91 year old mother, who resides at a local nursing home, was unresponsive and taken to Sanford emergency by ambulance December 23. She had been awaiting a consult for pacemaker, but it could not be scheduled until January 5. When we saw her in the emergency room, we feared that would be too late. She was awake, but not our mother – clearly not in her right mind….[explains a series of interactions that showed poor communication, coordination and responsiveness to their needs]…I was resigned that we were in a nightmare. My wife took one more run at it, and asked if the charge nurse was available. We had not met her. The Charge nurse was summoned and came to my mother’s room. Her name was Linda and she changed our experience and our mother’s outcome to one that was extremely positive.

• She was compassionate; she listened and did not look through us.
• She took the initiative to pull up, print and share with us the Dr’s note from the ER consult.
• She confirmed that he had stated that the MRI was in his plan. (Unfortunately, he went off duty for the holiday weekend without ordering it.)
• She stated that she would do all she could to get in touch with the Dr., or the cardiologist, to see if someone would authorize the MRI.
• She reassured us that indeed the MRI staff would be on duty Christmas Eve, and that the MRI could still happen in the morning, depending on whether there were emergencies.
• She spent time with my mother and with us, learning more about the case from our perspectives, not just from the chart.
• She renewed our confidence and trust in this frightfully huge hospital.
• Then she did what she said she would do; she got a physician to authorize the MRI.
• She came back to the room 30 minutes after that and said the MRI folks wanted to run it that night – she was taken down about 9 p.m. for the test.

Linda was knowledgeable, decisive, empathic and an advocate for us and my mother at a time when we were deeply discouraged and afraid. The MRI ruled out stroke. The cardiologist authorized the pacemaker, and on Tuesday after Christmas she underwent the procedure. She is back at the nursing home and improving daily. We are convinced that the outcome would not have been positive had this angel not been on duty that night. She was all of the qualities embodied in the DAISY award, but especially she was a healer, a guide, a teacher, collaborator and a leader.