May 2026 Honoree
Abigail Thompson, RN
Our service has a patient who had a very complicated post-surgical course following GJ revision. Our patient is a woman who struggled with GERD and was hopeful of going home 2-3 days after revision surgery with relief from symptoms, but this patient's stay ended up being well over 30 days.
Our team watched this patient over weeks become frustrated and withdrawn when her body could not keep up with her inability to tolerate the oral nutrition she needed. She was put on TPN, which she could not tolerate as well. Eating... one of life’s simple pleasures, this sweet woman could not enjoy anymore, and she physically struggled to do so for survival. We struggled as a team to find a plan that would work for her, both nutritionally and psychologically.
As the days went by, the smiles we got from her slowly disappeared, and all she wanted was to sleep. At this point, she was truly failing to thrive physically and mentally. This patient just wanted to go home. Our plan was to get her to be able to drink enough to get her home. Over her stay, we had some pretty severe inclement weather. Lots of dreary days with cold and snow and even a level 3 snow emergency. Early February, we had a break in the dreary days. That was when Abigail Thompson, who had cared for this patient many times before, came in, decided our patient needed a change of scenery, and took it upon herself to do something for the patient’s well-being. She put her in a wheelchair and simply took her outside.
I know this sounds like something so basic and not a big deal or worth recognition to some, but this meant the world to our patient. I came in the next morning to see her, and the shades were up in her room; she was sitting in bed, and the smile I hadn't seen in weeks was there. I asked her what had changed, and she said, “I feel so much better now after Abby took me outside yesterday and I got to breathe some fresh air.” She teared up and said, “I needed that so much”. In the days following this interaction, our patient finally started to progress. Mentally, she was a different person. Her mood was elevated, and she was motivated again to do what she needed to feel better and go home. Several days later, we discharged her to a rehab facility, and then a week later she went home.
I feel Abigail is worthy of a DAISY Award because this act of kindness is something we need to encourage and do more of for our patients, and we don’t do it enough. Something so small, yet it can make a world of difference and impact lengths of stay. That day, Abigail treated our patient with compassion, instilled faith and hope, exceeded expectations by understanding and anticipating the patient's needs, and found an opportunity to create a welcoming, special environment. This ultimately impacted this patient’s care and outcome in the best way possible. Thank you, Abby, for taking the time, in the midst of your always busy day, to make a huge difference in someone’s care.
Our team watched this patient over weeks become frustrated and withdrawn when her body could not keep up with her inability to tolerate the oral nutrition she needed. She was put on TPN, which she could not tolerate as well. Eating... one of life’s simple pleasures, this sweet woman could not enjoy anymore, and she physically struggled to do so for survival. We struggled as a team to find a plan that would work for her, both nutritionally and psychologically.
As the days went by, the smiles we got from her slowly disappeared, and all she wanted was to sleep. At this point, she was truly failing to thrive physically and mentally. This patient just wanted to go home. Our plan was to get her to be able to drink enough to get her home. Over her stay, we had some pretty severe inclement weather. Lots of dreary days with cold and snow and even a level 3 snow emergency. Early February, we had a break in the dreary days. That was when Abigail Thompson, who had cared for this patient many times before, came in, decided our patient needed a change of scenery, and took it upon herself to do something for the patient’s well-being. She put her in a wheelchair and simply took her outside.
I know this sounds like something so basic and not a big deal or worth recognition to some, but this meant the world to our patient. I came in the next morning to see her, and the shades were up in her room; she was sitting in bed, and the smile I hadn't seen in weeks was there. I asked her what had changed, and she said, “I feel so much better now after Abby took me outside yesterday and I got to breathe some fresh air.” She teared up and said, “I needed that so much”. In the days following this interaction, our patient finally started to progress. Mentally, she was a different person. Her mood was elevated, and she was motivated again to do what she needed to feel better and go home. Several days later, we discharged her to a rehab facility, and then a week later she went home.
I feel Abigail is worthy of a DAISY Award because this act of kindness is something we need to encourage and do more of for our patients, and we don’t do it enough. Something so small, yet it can make a world of difference and impact lengths of stay. That day, Abigail treated our patient with compassion, instilled faith and hope, exceeded expectations by understanding and anticipating the patient's needs, and found an opportunity to create a welcoming, special environment. This ultimately impacted this patient’s care and outcome in the best way possible. Thank you, Abby, for taking the time, in the midst of your always busy day, to make a huge difference in someone’s care.
Thank you, Abigail, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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