Kienzle Family Maternity Center Nurse Receives DAISY Award

A first-time mom who understands the impact a person can have on one’s life in just one moment, nominated a Kienzle Family Maternity Center nurse for the DAISY award for excellence in nursing.

Having had heart surgery as a young child, this patient became a pediatric nurse because of the care she received. When she came to Crouse this February to deliver her daughter, her experience with Dawn Bezon, RN, was so meaningful, she nominated Dawn for a DAISY.

Ready to give birth to her baby, the patient was admitted to Crouse with her husband, after a night of labor pains. They met Dawn upon arriving to Labor and Delivery.

The patient explains she was nervous because two weeks prior to her delivery, her friend lost her baby at 40 weeks.

“I could not help but pray that my little one would be safe. I shared this with Dawn as she admitted us so she would understand my heightened nervousness,” the patient said.

As labor progressed, Dawn remained with the couple, offering suggestions to help with pain and assistance to the family members that had arrived. When there were decelerations, Dawn was quick to enter the room and help the patient with position changes that would correct the baby’s heart rate.

At the end of Dawn’s shift, she brought the night nurse into the patient’s room to introduce them and do a bedside check. During that time, the baby’s heart rate decelerated again.

“I heard the heart rate continue to decline on the monitor. The thought of my friend and the loss of her baby started to flood me with emotion and I started to wonder if it was happening to me. The next few moments happened quickly as more staff entered my room, followed by my OB. I was being repositioned by multiple people, oxygen was being applied and I was told I needed a cesarean section,” the patient said.

“I remember being so terrified. I asked if my husband could come and Dawn told me she would make sure he got there,” the patient added.

Once the cesarean section was in progress, the patient’s husband was brought in and they anxiously awaited the arrival of their baby girl. While she lay there waiting to hear her daughter’s cries, someone leaned down and told her it would be okay.

“It only took me a few seconds to realize the person was Dawn,” the patient said.

Despite her shift being over, Dawn stayed with the patient to help her welcome her daughter to the world.

The patient said when she thinks back to that night, despite feeling helpless and afraid, Dawn was able to bring her comfort.

“As a nurse, I know what it is like to work 12 hours and want to go home. To give a report to the oncoming nurse so that your day can be done. Nursing is more than a job, it is a continued effort to give a piece of yourself, to show compassion, to build trust, to make a difference in the moment. Dawn is every bit of an extraordinary nurse and deserving of this award. The compassion she showed and displayed for me and my family is remarkable,” the patient said.

Thank you, Dawn, for the care and compassion you show patients every day.

Chief Nursing Officer Betty O’Connor, right, and Nurse Manager Sara Madison, left, presented Dawn with her DAISY award.

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.