Karla is always such a ray of sunshine, always making a point to smile and say “hello” to everyone she comes across. Everyone knows that Karla is something special, and today showed me, once again, how true that really is.

There was a very sick CCU patient, in his 20s, who was rapidly decompensating. His mother and father were at his bedside and naturally were extremely emotional. The patient care team had to ask the parents to wait in the hallway while we tried to stabilize him, and we could clearly hear the parents crying in the hallway. Without hesitation, Karla stopped whatever she had been doing and went to console the parents of this young man. She answered their questions and spoke to them as not just a nurse, but as a mother whose heart was breaking for this family.

Sometimes we go into autopilot too quickly, and efficiently, in order to stabilize patients, and it was very comforting to know that there are “Karlas” in the world who stop and give of themselves to help others, in meaningful ways other than direct patient care.

Note: This is Karla's 2nd DAISY Award!