DAISY Award Presented to Nurses from 6 South Irving Unit

A charge nurse from our Kienzle Family Maternity Center was so grateful for two of her fellow nurses and their compassionate care for her father before he passed away, she nominated them for a DAISY Award for excellence in nursing.

Nicole Petrie, RN, and Melissa Smith, RN, cared for the nurse’s father during his final days. The nurse said that although her father was a difficult patient, Nicole and Melissa (and every staff member they encountered) were amazing to her family.

“My father was not an easy patient. He was combative at times, an annoyance to other patients and their families at times and very difficult to keep comfortable,” she said. But, she adds, “I felt that they all truly cared and took the extra time out of their crazy days and nights to not only provide the best patient care to my father, but also to make sure I had what I needed.”

She went on to say that Nicole was her father’s nurse on his final day, and she was able to make him smile, something that she said even she couldn’t do.

Melissa was her father’s nurse the night he passed, and she said when she came down to see him, Melissa was rearranging his pillows and making sure he was comfortable.

The patient’s daughter says she believes their extra attention made his passing easier.

“Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough. As you can imagine this journey has been one of the most difficult times of my life. The support that I was given and the care that was provided to my father reminds me of why I am so profoundly grateful to be a part of our Crouse family.”

Thank you, Melissa and Nicole, for showing kindness and compassion in a time of loss.

Melissa, left, and Nicole, right, received their awards from Chief Nursing Officer Betty O’Connor and Nurse Manager Laura Waddington.

About the DAISY Award
In November 1999, the family of J. Patrick Barnes formed the DAISY Foundation as a way to express their profound gratitude to nurses for the work they do for patients and their families every day. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. Pat died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. In 2015, Crouse became a DAISY-affiliated hospital, and presents an award to a deserving nurse, selected by a committee, regularly throughout the year. The DAISY Award program at Crouse has been made possible through a donation from the Crouse Hospital Medical Staff.