I am from Maryland and recently I traveled to Atlanta accompanied by my Poodle, P, to purchase a Motorhome. While at the motorhome dealership, I experienced chest discomfort.  After closing on the motorhome, I drove my newly purchased motorhome to the Northside Duluth ER.  I parked my motorhome in the dirt lot across the street and walked across to the ER.  I had to leave my Poodle inside of the motorhome, with the HVAC system set to maintain a comfortable temperature for him.

Upon entering the ER, I was taken into the back and hooked up to heart monitors.  It was determined that I was experiencing a myocardial infarction.  Stunned by this diagnosis, my thoughts turned to my dog and what would happen to him since I wasn't going to be leaving the ER quickly.  I mentioned to the nurses working on me that “I had a dog in an RV across the street and if I didn't make it, my keys were in my pocket.  I didn’t know anybody here in Georgia, so please see to his care."  Upon hearing this, the nurses discussed what to do, and one of them (a male nurse whose name I didn’t get) took my keys and retrieved my dog from my parked motorhome, bringing him to where I was being cared for.  

I needed to be transferred to the Gwinnett location, since the procedure I required could not be performed at Duluth.  This revelation created even more stress for me, being concerned for dog’s wellbeing.  The nurses huddled again to figure out what to do, with Bianca volunteering to take my dog to her home while I was being cared for.  This relieved an immense amount of stress from me, knowing that my canine companion would be safe.

I was ambulance to Gwinnett, where my heart procedure was performed, and I was placed in the ICU for recovery.  The next morning, I received a reassuring text message from Bianca saying that “P was fine and getting along great with her dogs.”  She even sent me some pictures.  This again calmed my anxiety and concern for his safety.   I ended up staying four days in recovery, with each day receiving texts from Bianca checking in on me while reassuring me that my dog was fine. When I was released from Gwinnett, Bianca, her husband, and children drove to where my motorhome was parked across from Duluth and returned my dog to me.

While the entire nursing staff at both Duluth and Gwinnett took excellent care of me, Bianca went above and beyond her call of duty.  She recognized how distressing it was for me being away from home while I experienced this heart episode, and the uncertainty about what would happen to my dog.  While in recovery, I told one of the nurses about how wonderful Bianca was, sacrificing some of her family’s time for a stranger.  She didn’t have to do that.   And how seeing that there were still good people in the world restored my faith in humanity.   She epitomizes the spirit of the DAISY Award and deserves this recognition.