My family was fortunate enough to find my mother in the care of Nurse Kerry Phillips on 5KS. My mom is currently battling many health issues. She began chemotherapy for her toughest battle - stage 4 metastatic lung cancer. She is also experiencing afib, dehydration, and other adverse reactions to chemotherapy. Needless to say, my mom is not an easy case. I am so happy Ms. Phillips was our nurse. The kindness and compassion she showed not only to my mom but also to my sister and me were reassuring.

I arrived early on Wednesday to spend the day visiting with my mom. Kerry introduced herself and proved throughout the day that she was a wonderfully skilled nurse. When my mom was uncomfortable, she found a way to help her find comfort. When her heart rate was high, she was on the phone promptly with doctors to find the next course of action and implement it. When my mom’s blood pressure measured very high (185/78) she was calm, reassured my mom she was in touch with her doctor, and that she would take care of her. She also took the initiative to take her blood pressure manually to double-check it, rather than trust the electronic one implicitly. She also recognized the need to consult with others in order to provide the best care for my mom when needed.

My mother never knew Ms. Phillips was caring for a number of other patients on the floor. She made my mom feel like she was her only patient. Her kind, gentle manner was both reassuring and soothing to me and my mom. We inadvertently learned that Ms. Phillips is a novice. This surprised us! She maintained her composure and appeared to be a seasoned nurse. We sincerely hope her time on 5K South is the beginning of an amazing career. She certainly possesses the skills, character, and compassion I would hope a nurse caring for my family member would have. We believe Kerry Phillips is a DAISY Nurse for her commitment to her vocation but more so for providing exemplary, compassionate care to her patients and confidence and reassurance for their families.