To say that Kayla understands our families more than most simply scratches the surface of the dedication, skill, and strength she has displayed. One of many instances of this occurred recently as Kayla cared for one of our chronically ill patients and his family at end of life. In the PICU we work in extremes attempting to guide families through unimaginable loss and pain; Kayla did this with an unparalleled calm and sincerity that was palpable to not only the family but all who encountered her that night. Kayla ensured that the patient did not endure any unnecessary medical interventions, advocating for the family to have uninterrupted time with the patient, and worked with our amazing chaplain to include the family in memory making prints, heartbeat recordings, EKG tracings, and hand molds. Kayla afforded this family the gift of time, privacy, understanding, and support which was needed far more than any other practical intervention possible. She was humble and skilled and truly saw T and his family, not as problems to be fixed but as people who were hurting. She gave the family time, respected the process, remained present, listened, and cared.
As nurses sometimes to preserve ourselves we stay distant, but not Kayla. It must have hurt beyond words to connect with this family, as she has trusted us to care for her own children, and knows first-hand the exhaustion and hurt that lengthy hospitalizations can have. The culmination of T's stay for this family was peaceful yet anguishing. Kayla didn't run and hide behind the computer, or the physicians; she didn't insist on taking charge or lecture the family on how to feel. She gave T's family time to be who they needed to be, gave them the support they needed to feel, and she gave T the care and dignity he deserved. For all of this and more, including the compassionate way Kayla lives out each and every day in her work and in her life, she is a DAISY Nurse.