Dean Salangsang, RN

One day, there was a patient who had end-stage heart failure, was dying, and had been in the hospital for over a month already. Dean was caring for this patient and told him he wanted to see his pet dog for the very last time. Dean was determined to grant his patient’s final wish.

He made several calls, even all the way up to administration, to find a way to allow the patient’s dog to be brought to the bedside. He then coordinated with the patient’s brother once approval was obtained.

After a long day, the patient’s dog arrived at the bedside and was finally reunited with his owner. I saw how the patient’s eyes joyfully lit up with the sight of his dog, and he seemed to find comfort with the encounter. Dean’s actions made a huge difference to this dying patient and showed his compassion and big heart.

In another instance, there was a family member who approached me to commend Dean. She stated that she works as a nurse at Kaiser South Bay and was so appreciative of Dean’s efforts to make them feel at ease during the most devastating time in their lives. She described how they were distraught seeing how sick and unstable her brother was; it was a tough moment to witness for her and her whole family.

She mentioned that Dean came and introduced himself and patiently explained everything to them. She stated that he really stood out because he had put them at ease and just had that calming effect on all of them. She was really touched by his compassion and was amazed by Dean's great skill level and described him as unparalleled. She was thankful to Dean for making their unbearable experience a little better for all of them.

These are two instances that stood out for me and showed Dean’s extraordinary compassion that is deserving of a DAISY recognition.