A few weeks ago, 5 Heart was lucky enough to provide care for a 49-year-old father who was being treated for a stroke. Cindy was assigned to this patient and cared for him and his family over multiple shifts. The relationship I watched her build with the family was amazing. The wife and sons bonded with Cindy as she would spend time educating the family, all while uplifting their spirits. Cindy found the smallest improvements to point out and helped the family focus on those improvements. On good days, when the patient was responding appropriately, Cindy was able to navigate through his likes and dislikes and joke around with the patient and family. They all needed a ray of happiness and I saw Cindy give this to them. The patient's condition deteriorated and he was transferred to CCU. While Cindy was working, she would go visit the patient and family, all while the patient's son would come visit Cindy and the 5 Heart staff. Once the patient's condition stabilized, he was transferred out of CCU and back to 5 Heart. While caring for this patient, Cindy learned that one of his sons was awaiting the birth of his own son.
On the last day of 5 Heart caring for this patient, prior to sending him to MUSC, the patient's son mentioned to Cindy that he would love for his dad to see his new son, who had been born the day before. Cindy accepted the challenge and she quietly worked her magic behind the scenes to accomplish this task. She went with the patient's son to 5 Tower, where she collaborated with the charge nurse and Nurse Manager to find a way for the new baby to leave the mother/baby unit to visit his grandfather for the first time. While the patient could not hold his grandson, he was able to see him and this brought tears of joy. This moment meant so much to this family, and with the help of 5 Tower, Cindy lovingly created a special moment to meet the emotional needs of this patient and family.
I feel Cindy Bryant truly embodies the meaning of the DAISY award through her kind acts and holistic approach to nursing care.
Update: The patient's family reached out to Cindy and communicated their desire to withdraw dialysis and have him moved back to Spartanburg. Cindy took it upon herself to reach out to case management to discuss the process so she could share positive information with the family. The patient's family followed up with Cindy once again, to let her know he was home with hospice care.
We are so fortunate for Cindy's nursing care and the relationships that she formed with the patient and his family. Congratulations to Cindy Bryant, our June DAISY award-winning nurse!