Samantha McCarty had several nominations. Some of the comments received included statements such as:

Goes beyond the extra mile

Takes on all challenges

Truly cares about the wellbeing of patients in this institution

Is self-motivated and a team player

Saved my life



Nursing is one of the few professions that never takes time off. A nurse is a nurse wherever they are. Nurses go into action whenever there is a need or a situation that arises. Let me describe a situation for you and you will see exactly what I mean.

Samantha was following her mother home from Terre Haute one evening when they noticed that a van was traveling head on toward her mother's vehicle. They both hit their brakes hard fortunately avoiding a collision. Suddenly the oncoming van rolled and flipped several times coming to rest in a field.

By this time Samantha had stopped, exited her vehicle and was approaching the van while her mother called 911. They smelled gasoline as they approached the van. They began talking to the driver who was slipping in and out of consciousness and was able to determine that there had not been any other passengers in the vehicle.

The Fire and Rescue team arrived and was moving cautiously. Samantha, who had already evaluated the scene stated, "We need to get him out now, let's go". Getting in the back seat of the van, she assisted securing the driver as they safely extracted him from the vehicle.

Samantha's attention then quickly turned to her own mother, who was obviously shaken. She demonstrated both bravery and skill over and over again.

It is my honor to present the DAISY Award to my hero, Samantha McCarty.