Every DAISY Award recipient goes the extra mile, but Janet Backer, RN, has logged quite a few while caring for little A. And that’s one of the main reasons Janet earned Allen Hospital’s latest DAISY honor. This little girl was born in 2020, and she failed every hearing test. A little more than a year later, she underwent cochlear implant surgery. The right implant was a success, but the left implant never healed correctly. Since then, the left implant has been replaced three times while battling infections.

It was late in 2022 when the family returned home from yet another procedure. Janet, who works for the pediatrics unit, visited the family at their home to set up IV equipment and instruct them on how to use it.

“This is how Janet became a part of our family,” said A's mother. “From the first meeting, we felt at ease with Janet, and she listened to our questions and answered them in a way we could understand. Most important, we could tell A was not afraid of her and took a liking to her right away.” Although it wasn’t required, Janet returned the next night to ensure everything was going smoothly.

Two weeks later, A had an appointment with an infectious disease physician. “The doctor told my parents she hadn’t seen that good of a dressing change in quite a while,” A's mother recalled. “We think the doctor was impressed with Janet without even meeting her.”

Days later, as Janet changed A’s dressing, she noticed a red rash and told A's mother to keep her informed. The rash become worse two days later, so the family took A to the emergency department at Allen Hospital. Janet was already home for the night – one hour away – but she grabbed her keys and drove back to Waterloo to be with the family and coordinate care with the ER. At 2:30 a.m., Janet gave A’s grandmother a ride home, then returned to the ER to support A's mother.

At 4:30, the decision was made to transport A to another hospital, where she would be admitted. Janet purchased snacks for A's mother to take with her for the ride. “Janet has become part of our family in a short time,” she said, whose family joined hospital team members for Janet’s DAISY Award presentation. “She went above and beyond what any nurse or job would require. She has shown our family, and especially our little A, so much kindness, compassion and love, and we can’t thank her enough. She’s an extraordinary nurse and person.”

At Christmas, Janet stopped by to check on A and gave her a gift – a doll that has a cochlear implant. “A pointed at the doll’s implant, then to her own implant,” A's mother recalls. “She doesn’t go to bed without it, and it was just another example of Janet’s kindness.”