August 2026 Honoree
Lucy Olson, RN, PCCN
Our family would like to nominate Lucy for the DAISY Award because she played an instrumental role in identifying what was truly happening with our mom and ultimately helped save her life.
Our Mom was originally admitted for EMU monitoring for what we believed were seizures. Lucy advocated for the care team to also place her on EKG monitoring, as the plan had initially only included EMU monitoring. Although there was some pushback, Lucy persisted because she felt it was important to evaluate a potential cardiac component. During one of our mom’s episodes, Lucy noticed that she had developed SVT before the event and recognized symptoms consistent with presyncope. She also observed atrial fibrillation following the episode. Throughout these events, Lucy remained calm and attentive, closely monitoring our mom’s vital signs. She noted that her blood pressure and heart rate became extremely elevated during the episodes and then rapidly dropped afterward.
After one particularly concerning episode that lasted over 1.5 hours, Lucy strongly advocated for additional cardiac testing. She also had the thoughtful idea to place our mom on her right side to help reduce strain on her heart during the episode while continuing to monitor her closely and keep her safe. Because Lucy pushed for further cardiac evaluation, the team ultimately discovered that our Mom had experienced a heart attack. She was promptly transferred to a cardiac floor the following day, where she underwent a successful ablation. Since that procedure, she has had no further symptoms.
Lucy’s advocacy, critical thinking, and dedication made an extraordinary difference in our mom’s care. In addition to her clinical vigilance, Lucy showed tremendous compassion. She helped decorate our mom’s room, arranged for a library consult, and made sure our mom felt comfortable and supported during her stay. It was also our mom’s birthday during this time, and Lucy went out of her way to make her feel safe and special despite being in the hospital. The doctors later told us that if this issue had not been discovered when it was, our mom would likely have suffered a major heart attack or stroke at home. She lives about an hour away from the nearest ambulance service, and they believe she may not have survived if that had happened.
Today, our mom is safely back at home, enjoying the beautiful weather in the woods, something that would not have been possible without Lucy’s vigilance and advocacy. Lucy is an extraordinary nurse who truly embodies compassionate, patient-centered care. Our family will always be grateful to her and the entire team for the care they provided and for the life-saving difference Lucy made.
Our Mom was originally admitted for EMU monitoring for what we believed were seizures. Lucy advocated for the care team to also place her on EKG monitoring, as the plan had initially only included EMU monitoring. Although there was some pushback, Lucy persisted because she felt it was important to evaluate a potential cardiac component. During one of our mom’s episodes, Lucy noticed that she had developed SVT before the event and recognized symptoms consistent with presyncope. She also observed atrial fibrillation following the episode. Throughout these events, Lucy remained calm and attentive, closely monitoring our mom’s vital signs. She noted that her blood pressure and heart rate became extremely elevated during the episodes and then rapidly dropped afterward.
After one particularly concerning episode that lasted over 1.5 hours, Lucy strongly advocated for additional cardiac testing. She also had the thoughtful idea to place our mom on her right side to help reduce strain on her heart during the episode while continuing to monitor her closely and keep her safe. Because Lucy pushed for further cardiac evaluation, the team ultimately discovered that our Mom had experienced a heart attack. She was promptly transferred to a cardiac floor the following day, where she underwent a successful ablation. Since that procedure, she has had no further symptoms.
Lucy’s advocacy, critical thinking, and dedication made an extraordinary difference in our mom’s care. In addition to her clinical vigilance, Lucy showed tremendous compassion. She helped decorate our mom’s room, arranged for a library consult, and made sure our mom felt comfortable and supported during her stay. It was also our mom’s birthday during this time, and Lucy went out of her way to make her feel safe and special despite being in the hospital. The doctors later told us that if this issue had not been discovered when it was, our mom would likely have suffered a major heart attack or stroke at home. She lives about an hour away from the nearest ambulance service, and they believe she may not have survived if that had happened.
Today, our mom is safely back at home, enjoying the beautiful weather in the woods, something that would not have been possible without Lucy’s vigilance and advocacy. Lucy is an extraordinary nurse who truly embodies compassionate, patient-centered care. Our family will always be grateful to her and the entire team for the care they provided and for the life-saving difference Lucy made.
Thank you, Lucy, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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