Megan Sayre, RN

We had a patient admitted to our floor for CP. He had developed CP after performing CPR on his wife, who had gone unresponsive at home and was brought in by EMS. The patient's wife was admitted to one of the Mountain ICU's with a Cerebral Aneurysm that had ruptured, and the prognosis was not good. Neuro wanted to have all of the family present to discuss the situation and how the wife was not going to make it. Our patient was in a Cardiac PCU and on telemetry, so Megan, his nurse, tried to arrange to have the family meeting take place at his bedside, but Neuro wanted to do it at the wife's bedside. The patient was already understandably upset because he was in the hospital and not at the side of his wife. This occurred during the evening shift, and the family meeting was scheduled for after 7 pm.

Megan worked a 0645-1915 shift that day, and after giving report, she hooked the patient up to a transport monitor and took him up to his wife's room. She stayed with him and the family at the bedside and monitored his heart rhythm. A family meeting took place, and the husband decided to make her as comfortable as possible. The patient developed CP in his wife's room, and Megan took care of him in the room; an EKG and BP were obtained, and meds were given while the patient was at his wife's bedside. Megan stayed with the patient until 2330 that night so he could be with his wife and surrounded by his family. She passed away in the morning hours. This was nursing at its finest. Not only was she taking care of the patient physically, but she also knew what a tremendous tragedy he was dealing with and stepped in to help meet his emotional and mental needs as well. This was truly nursing from the heart, and to me, it exemplifies what the DAISY Award is all about.