The DAISY Team Award seeks to honor interdisciplinary teams who work together to go above and beyond to meet the needs of a patient and/or family. The Radiation Oncology team at Morehead truly exemplifies what The DAISY Team Award represents. I have witnessed time and again where this team works together to provide care that truly goes above and beyond. This is especially true when we provide care to our pediatric patients. Often times, the department receives very little notice that pediatric patients need to be added to the already packed schedule. When the pediatric patient is an inpatient who requires multiple daily treatments under anesthesia, the team must work together to create a seamless experience for the patient and family during this most difficult time. The level of commitment and teamwork required in this situation is remarkable, but if you are able to provide it and also create an environment where the patient and family are unaware of all the moving pieces and parts it takes to make it happen, then you have done something exceptional. When the patient and family only feel compassion and love from your team, you know they are providing the epitome of patient and family-centered care.
This was the case with one of our pediatric patients who was treated in our department this past December. We attempted to treat her without anesthesia, but she was unable to tolerate her treatment. We were able to get her added to the anesthesia schedule and adjust the nursing schedule to accommodate her need for pre and post-anesthesia care in less than 12 hours. Her and her family's experience in Rad Onc is best told in the words of her mother, who submitted the nomination below:
My daughter spent nearly two years at LCH for the treatment of osteosarcoma. She was 5 when she was diagnosed in April of 2018, and underwent intense chemo, surgery, and physical therapy. She was declared "cancer-free" in February 2019 when she "rang the bell" and had the chance to be "normal" again. Unfortunately, her cancer returned in September 2019, and this time it was very aggressive. We were not given much time with her and there weren't many options in terms of her care. The cancer could have been treated with chemo, but it would not have given her quality of life and we were not guaranteed any extra time. Our only option was radiation. We were told this would give us quality time, not a lot, but time that we could still make memories. And at that point in time, we needed to make as many memories as we could.
Our first encounter was on the day that she had to be "fitted" for her radiation mask. We met Travis and Shawn, and they were wonderful with her. They took the time to talk to her about her. They asked her what she liked and what her plans were for Christmas. Travis showed her pictures of his dog and she shared pictures of her puppies. They showed her they loved her, and she felt it after just one visit. When we left, she told me she was excited about coming back as long as Travis and Shawn would be there.
The first day of radiation was the second worst day of my life. Our daughter did not receive anesthesia because her daddy and I honestly thought she could handle it. Before entering the room, Travis asked her what her favorite candy was and he promised to have some waiting for her when she finished. He was a wreck during and after the procedure, just like the rest of us, and he forgot to give her the chocolate. She didn't even notice because she was in panic mode, but when we arrived the next morning, Travis was waiting with a bag of Hershey's kisses that he bought just for her. All she asked for that day was for us to make sure Travis was taking care of her. She didn't need the chocolate, she just wanted him. It was a simple gesture that created safety and built a friendship.
Amy entered our lives the second day and never left our side. She was working in her office and heard our daughter scream from inside the radiation room. She and Dr. Fasola immediately made a plan that day to ensure she would never go through radiation without anesthesia again. But when I look back on that day, that was what Amy was supposed to do; it was her job. It's what she did every other day that makes her so special. Amy sat outside of the radiation room with me to try to comfort me as we listened to her scream. She cried with me and said nothing. She knew there was nothing to say. She greeted us every morning she was on duty and always asked if we needed anything. I truly felt like she would have flown to the moon if I asked her. (And we had only known each other for two days.) Amy brought us blankets and water at 6:00 in the morning, and many times just stood outside of the curtain to talk. She went above and beyond to not only make her comfortable, but she did the same for my entire family.
Dr. Fasola, I feel fell in love with our daughter from the first moment they met. She was scared, but Dr. Fasola entered the room with such confidence and compassion that our daughter, her daddy, and I could breathe for the first time in over a month. We knew what we wanted was impossible, but Dr. Fasola promised us quality time and we got it. The day after our daughter passed, she called me to pass along her condolences and you could hear the sadness in her voice. She didn't have to call, but she did.
Mr. Tim (CRNA) was AMAZING with our daughter. He was there for all but a few of her treatments and she looked for him. She felt safe with him because he knew her. By this, I mean that he knew exactly the right amount of anesthesia to give her to ensure she stayed "asleep" for the procedure, but not so much that she was drowsy the whole day. Tim knew we needed time with her, and we couldn't make our memories if she was too sleepy to make them. I think he could see the fear in my eyes and he would let me ride on her bed with her into the room until she fell asleep. He would tell me to give her a kiss, and then promised me he would take good care of her. He wasn't just taking care of her, he was taking care of me too.
And then there is Jason. Jason was our "radiation transport guy" for all but one trip to radiation, and just like our daughter looked for her nurses, I looked for Jason. He was so patient and sweet with her. You see, she had tumors growing rapidly all over her body and it was painful. She hurt when she moved, and she hurt when you touched her, so you can imagine how terrified she was each day when she had to be moved from her hospital bed to the transport bed. He was always so careful when transferring the IV pump and all her tubes from one bed to another and refused to let anyone touch her until he was ready. He facilitated the move from the beds, but it was the care he took with her on the actual transport that blew me away. Because he knew how much pain she was in, he took his time moving her from LCH to the radiation department. He would slow down when entering the elevators because he knew the "bump" would hurt her. He would avoid certain halls because he knew the floor was uneven and it might cause the bed to shift or move. He (and James) would actually come early to get her so we could avoid the high traffic areas like Starbucks during shift changes. It was that extra care that sets him apart from anyone I have ever met.
I honestly do not think that I would have made it through the last month, if it had not been for our nurses James and Hannah. I had the privilege of meeting these two wonderful people during our first few days of our daughter's treatment and I didn't feel comfortable or safe if they weren't there. James began coming with Jason to pick us up in the mornings and his presence alone made us all feel at ease. You see, Hannah and James knew our daughter. They talked to her before her procedures and knew just about everything about her. They knew her favorite color was pink, so they made sure to have pink gauze on hand. They knew she loved stuffed animals, and they even took the time to learn her stuffed animals' names. They gave her baths while she was "sleeping" because they knew I couldn't do it anymore because she was in so much pain. They watched her body change and took notes on anything that didn't seem right. Hannah and James noticed she was developing a fever because of the tumors and they made sure a small electric fan was in her "room" when she arrived. They brought her presents and she made them (and the team) Christmas ornaments. THEY KNEW HER and THEY LOVED HER!!!
I could go on and on about how great each of these people is at doing their jobs, but truthfully, I never saw what happened during our daughter's actual procedures. Everything I know about them comes from what I saw before and after she was taken into the radiation room. I saw them make a big deal about her. I saw the smiles and hugs being exchanged and watched a bond grow between adults and a 7-year-old. I listened as conversations about what she wanted for Christmas turned into stories about unicorns and flamingos. We laughed and we cried together, and even after we left the hospital they still checked in on her.
When she passed, hundreds of people came to the funeral home to pay their respects to our daughter. Many came because they knew her, and some came because they knew of her. The radiology oncology team came because they knew her. And when I saw them walk in the door, it was the first time in many days that I felt safe. I cried more with them than I did with my own family because they were there, through it all, and they knew her. They knew her because they took the time to get to know her and they loved her because she loved each of them.
Nursing is defined as a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. For my family, it holds a completely different meaning. I don't see nursing as a profession. I see it as a choice that only special people can do. You see when our daughter's cancer returned, and we chose radiation as her final treatment, we chose to become a family with the radiology oncology team. This group of nurses, therapists, doctors, and others were instrumental in creating time and memories with her. I cannot think of another group of people more deserving of The DAISY Award than this department. They are definitely the best at what they do!