Trev Ragan

Compassion is key to patient care at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Heart Center nurses Diana and Trev Ragan, now the second husband and wife pair in the country to have each received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, are models of compassion. They demonstrate a unique empathy like only a patient or parent could.

The parents who nominated Trev were blown away by his compassion for their child during his 7-day stay. He continually went out of his way to help the patient feel comfortable because, simply put, he knows how it feels. Seventeen years ago, Trev received a heart transplant in the same heart center where he now works.

“It’s why I wanted to become a nurse,” Trev said. “Lying there, waiting to get a heart, I looked around and saw children and families struggling. I knew I could help make that better.”

Trev connects with his patients with a sense of humor and joy for life that helps them feel like normal kids. He knows how important that is for the patients’ recovery.

“Families love him. The whole team admires him. We have a lot to learn from his experience,” Diana said.

The couple met on the very unit that gave new life to Trev and to Diana’s daughter. She was attending to a transplant patient on a weekend shift, when Trev showed up fresh from church. He was not scheduled to work that day, but had promised the family he would be there for the surgery. He roamed around in a suit and loafers, asking nurses how he could help.

Five years later, both believe that the challenges in their lives have been amazing gifts. These difficulties allow them to understand each other, to connect to their patients, and to work so well with their team. “