I am honored to share my story and to highlight why Starla Elder, L&D nurse at Springfield Mercy is more than deserving of such an award.
I had a 2nd trimester stillbirth induction and Starla was my nurse. Devastated doesn't even begin to adequately describe what my husband and I were feeling. We were grief-stricken, full of questions, and had no idea what to expect physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. Starla literally held my hand through it all and provided superb medical care as well as emotional and spiritual support. She buffered everything for us that day. I delivered our precious stillborn son and Starla along with the doctor sat and cried with us and just held us. I ended up having to have emergency surgery after delivery and Starla once again never left my side. She stayed with me and held my hand through the entire surgery. Over the course of my labor and delivery that day, Starla went above and beyond. She brought in an extra recliner so my mom could have a comfortable chair to sit in. When my mom and husband were both dragging and needed some caffeine, instead of directing them to the lounge, she ordered a pitcher of soda for them to sip on all day. She brought in a personal box of Kleenex, not the sandpaper ones that are hospital provided and made sure we all had everything we needed and anything that could make us more comfortable. Starla gave us a piece of her heart on one of the hardest days of our lives when we had to send a piece of our hearts to Heaven.
Fast forward 6 months, we found ourselves in a surreal, yet terrifyingly familiar circumstance. I was once again, scheduled for a 2nd trimester stillbirth induction. While we will never understand why God allowed us to walk this road, much less twice, we will forever be grateful that He orchestrated schedules and allowed us to walk it with Starla both times. Her medical care is top of the line but her "heart care" far outweighs that. With enough work and time, you can teach just about anyone to properly perform nursing tasks. What sets Starla apart is her heart, her drive, and her passion. Walking this road a second time, especially with no medical reason for "why" was no easy task for any of us, Starla included. When one considers the role of an L&D nurse, one of the most common thoughts is while grueling, you get to be part of the best day of peoples' lives as they welcome their precious bundle of joy. The other end of the spectrum is rarely considered that you might also be part of the darkest, and hardest day of peoples' lives too as they say goodbye to the baby they longed for. Starla once again, went above and beyond in all areas as she walked this difficult road with us twice. She got me chapstick so my lips wouldn't be dry when I kissed my baby boy. She brought her own Starbucks coffee from home to brew for us throughout the long day. She was consistently one step ahead of the game in all areas. Kleenex - she had them. Extra pillows for my mom and husband - she brought them. Extra blood pressure checks when she could tell I was crashing as they prepped me for surgery again - she requested them before the anesthesia tech could even tell I was crashing on the monitors. She was hyper in tune with all of my needs - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. She laughed with us, prayed with us, cried with us and held us. We walked in and met as strangers in the midst of horrific circumstances and I walked out eternally grateful for the friend God gave us in Starka. She left fingerprints on our lives that cannot adequately be appreciated or repaid this side of Heaven but blessing her with the DAISY award would be an absolute honor. She is one of a kind!!!
Thank you so much for overseeing this program and the work that you do when it comes to the experiences Mercy patients have.