Dayna Hanebrink’s DAISY Award is for exceptional care provided to a patient who came to Mercy for “routine surgery”. Unfortunately, the patient – who had expected a four to five day stay – remained in the hospital for almost seven weeks.

During the patient’s stay, all Mercy staff members did what they could to help make a difficult situation a little easier. However, the patient became more depressed as days and weeks passed, and the holidays were just around the corner.

Hoping to be discharged just before Christmas, the patient encountered yet another setback. He and his family would now be spending the holidays at Mercy.

On Christmas Day, several family members showed up at the patient’s room to cheer him up, however, he remained depressed and unmotivated. Enter Dayna Hanebrink.

Dayna could see that the hospital room could not accommodate the number of family members showing up for Christmas. She sprang into action and created a Christmas dining room next to the patient’s room. She brought in tables to hold many food platters and even created a “head table” for the patient to feel right at home. Dayna also helped family members set up a Christmas tree in the room, where everyone placed their presents. When the day came to a close, there were tears of joy and laughter from the patient, his family and caregivers.

In mid-January, the patient was finally strong enough to return home. Other than the day of his discharge, his most memorable day was the day Dayna took it upon herself to spread a little Christmas cheer and Mercy spirit to her patient and his family members.