Dana Fraysher

When an area mom brought her child to the Emergency Department at Cardinal Glennon recently, she expected to get great care. What she did not expect was to meet a woman she would soon call her daughter’s guardian angel.

Dana Fraysher, a nurse in the Emergency Department, is the newest winner of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

When a young patient came to the ED, symptoms pointed to appendicitis. Blood work was ordered so treatment could begin quickly. However, Fraysher pushed to order a blood culture test, which can detect infections, just to rule out anything else. The patient’s mom was very grateful that she did.

“This is how we found out my daughter had a blood infection,” the patient’s mom wrote in the nomination. “She had not become severely sick yet, so they were able to start her on treatment right away.”

The patient’s mother said she was impressed that Fraysher would consider an infection, given the symptoms.

“Even my daughter’s own doctor said he probably would not have ordered blood cultures due to her symptoms,” the patient’s mother wrote. “Due to Dana’s great clinical skills and experience, she was able to see what needed to be done for my daughter.”