Michelle was taking care of a young woman that had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The patient was a 36-year-old who had her 2 young children at her bedside, along with multiple grieving family members. The patient began to deteriorate very quickly, as the family was planning on comfort caring her the next day. Michelle's compassion became evident when she came and asked her fellow nurses for help bringing the family waters and Kleenex, with tears in her eyes.
Unfortunately, the patient passed away that day. But thanks to Michelle, she was surrounded by all her loved ones, including her beloved children. During this grieving time, a conversation was overheard, in which the family member was expressing the gratitude that the family felt in regards to Michelle's empathy.
Michelle was able to gather the appropriate resources and went out of her way to comfort, support, and relieve as much stress from the family as possible. Michelle redirected the children's attention to the helicopter that had landed on our helipad, to help relieve some of their anxiety and stress. She gathered many resources (on a Sunday) to help make the process of transporting the patient back home, overseas, per her wishes. She gathered reading materials to help the family with their coping during this difficult time as well.
This is only one example of how remarkable of a nurse Michelle is. She goes above and beyond for her patients and colleagues on a daily basis. Michelle is the first one there and the last one to leave your side during difficult situations. She is also an amazing charge nurse and always has the unit's best interest at heart. She is always there with encouraging words for her fellow nurses in tough situations and goes out of her way to share knowledge with our new staff. She is very approachable when others are in need of help or just some advice on a tricky situation. In our opinion, Michelle is the definition of what a DAISY recipient is. Any of us would feel lucky to have her as our nurse.