This unit had a seriously ill patient who ended up staying with us for a few weeks. While his prognosis was incredibly guarded, the patient was in his late 50s with three daughters who were relatively young, leading the patient to continue fighting and seeking out any option possible to continue to live. During this time, one of our CSCs, Kristen Bruno, saw the continued decline in the patient and the increasing worry of the two young daughters who were consistently at the bedside.
During the week of Christmas, Kristen took it upon herself to reach out to several departments at CDH in order to find Christmas decorations for the patient's room. Kristen was able to get a box filled with various decorations from the gift shop to help brighten up the patient's room and a small Christmas tree from case management. First, she asked his permission and told him she wanted to surprise his daughters before they arrived for visiting and he was more than willing to accept. She decorated the entire room and as she decorated, she kept asking the patient if it was okay. The patient had a smile on his face the whole time and kept saying yes as he eagerly looked around the room. Kristen was even able to secure a donation of a poinsettia with three birds in it, each one representing one of the three daughters. Kristen wanted to give the patient and his daughters a nice Christmas memory as she felt like this could be his last Christmas.
Unfortunately, this patient ended up passing away in the hospital a couple of days after Christmas. I have no doubt that Kristen significantly contributed to a wonderful memory the daughters will now have of their father on their last Christmas together. This is a true reflection of RBC and the spirit of the DAISY Award.