Dear Selection Committee,
I am writing to tell you about an amazing nurse that my family had the pleasure of meeting at Mercy Gilbert Hospital. She made us feel comforted at the worst time in our lives. My father had a major stroke. Prior to that, he was the liveliest 79-year-old around. He took his grandchildren fishing and bowling on a weekly basis. He was also on a couple of bowling leagues and was part of the Color Guard of the American Legion.
Everything changed for us that day. We were scared and needed answers. Every person that we encountered at Mercy Gilbert, from the Emergency Room to the Neuro/Tele staff were incredible. Not only did they care about my dad, but they also took the time to make sure that the whole family was ok.
Even among all of those amazing people, one incredible nurse stuck out. Her name is Irene and she works in Neuro/Tele. I think in the three weeks that my father was in the hospital, she was assigned to be his nurse on a few different days, but even when she wasn't assigned, she would stop by to see him and make sure that he was progressing. When she was his nurse, we knew that everything was being taken care of. She was in charge of his care. We felt confident in her clinical knowledge and she could answer just about any question that we had and when she couldn't, she would find the answer and get back to us right away (usually within the hour).
She realized, after talking to my mom, that they live in the same neighborhood. Irene told my mom that she takes a walk through the neighborhood every night and that my mom should feel free to stop her to ask a question, get help, or just chat. She also offered to get my dad out walking when he was finally cleared by physical therapy. That kind of person is rare, and we feel blessed to have met her.
We have never encountered such a compassionate and caring medical professional, and she was a huge comfort to my family during this awful time. We never felt like we were being rushed or brushed off. We had test results so quickly and whenever there was a new pain or complication, the testing/new orders were completed immediately. Irene was also there to answer the questions of other staff members and a nurse trainee. Every trainee should have her as a teacher. I watched her, on several occasions, guide the student on not only the clinical steps to complete a procedure but how to address the patient and make sure that they were comfortable. She always put my dad and our family first.
We so appreciate the techs, nurses, doctors, and staff at Mercy Gilbert that acknowledged our presence, kept us informed, called my father by name (even when they knew he couldn't answer), and made us feel that they really cared about my father's recovery. I wish each one of them could get a DAISY Award, but I believe the best representative of that crew to receive the award is Irene.