Lauren Leander is a DAISY nurse for going well above and beyond any nursing practice. We have a patient on our unit who had suffered a sudden devastating illness that left him very little chance of recovery. Prior to being in the hospital, a young man had asked for the patient's daughter's hand in marriage. The patient agreed, and the happy couple started planning their wedding. With the current status change, it became of utmost importance that her father, although unresponsive, attend her wedding. It was apparent that the patient would not leave the hospital, so they were going to bring the wedding to him.
Lauren had been caring for the patient for a few days now, and the family approached her with the idea. Lauren took the idea and ran with it. Lauren helped coordinate the logistics of the wedding, decorated the patient's room, arranged some flowers and obtained a cake from the cafeteria. The daughter's two brothers walked her "down the aisle" through the pod doors, and to the patient's room, where the rest of the family were waiting. The ceremony occurred without a hitch, and the patient was able to participate in his daughter's wedding. This is all thanks to Lauren and her dedication to this family, our unit, and nursing. This was a once-in-a-lifetime event that was made possible by Lauren's dedication, flexibility, quick-thinking, multitasking, and heartfelt appreciation of the magnitude of this event for the family.