June 2024 Honoree
Lance Reed, RN
I have partnered with Lance for over ten years in bedside care. Lance has a gift for connecting with people, particularly patients. Lance infuses silliness and fun into each shift, which patients love. It's a joy as a parent myself to see a parent smile as they watch their child laugh at Lance's antics or see Lance draw out their child with play during a challenging hospital stay. There are countless Lance stories that parents and patients could tell. A chance encounter at Costco prompted me to nominate Lance for the DAISY Award.
I was at a Costco that I don't usually shop at en route to a baseball game for my son. At the checkout, the cashier asked if I wanted to donate money to Gillette Children's. I was surprised and said, "I work there! I'd love to give." A woman in the lane behind me turned around and said," I love Gillette. My son spent 68 days there with multiple surgical procedures." She and I shared our admiration for the work Gillette does. When she asked what unit I worked on, I shared. She asked if I knew Lance. I had just worked with Lance that day and told her I knew Lance well. She pointed over to the Costco food area to a boy in line, her son. She shared that her son was a senior in HS and plans to attend college in the fall. He had chosen Nursing as a major because of Lance. "There aren't enough male nurses and not enough nurses like Lance," was what her son had said to her when pursuing a college major.
I was deeply moved by this story. This mother was clearly appreciative of the healthcare team at Gillette, but she credited Lance with giving her son a hospital experience that he hoped to provide to patients of his own one day. That is an impact to be so very proud of.
I was at a Costco that I don't usually shop at en route to a baseball game for my son. At the checkout, the cashier asked if I wanted to donate money to Gillette Children's. I was surprised and said, "I work there! I'd love to give." A woman in the lane behind me turned around and said," I love Gillette. My son spent 68 days there with multiple surgical procedures." She and I shared our admiration for the work Gillette does. When she asked what unit I worked on, I shared. She asked if I knew Lance. I had just worked with Lance that day and told her I knew Lance well. She pointed over to the Costco food area to a boy in line, her son. She shared that her son was a senior in HS and plans to attend college in the fall. He had chosen Nursing as a major because of Lance. "There aren't enough male nurses and not enough nurses like Lance," was what her son had said to her when pursuing a college major.
I was deeply moved by this story. This mother was clearly appreciative of the healthcare team at Gillette, but she credited Lance with giving her son a hospital experience that he hoped to provide to patients of his own one day. That is an impact to be so very proud of.
Thank you, Lance, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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