Recently, a patient prematurely gave birth to twins. For two hours, she and her partner held the two boys before they passed away.
In the DAISY nomination, the patient describes how thankful she is for the nurses who cared for her and her babies. She says that throughout her stay at the hospital, she was treated with the most compassion and empathy she has ever experienced.
"Nancy was our nurse for both days of our hospital stay. She did everything she could do to help our grieving and make our short time with our boys memorable," says the nomination.
Wallin helped make keepsakes for the family, including pictures and imprints of hands and feet. She swaddled the babies and put hats on them, which gave the parents comfort.
The family was not able to make it to the hospital before she was discharged. According to the patient, Wallin was "almost a mom-like figure" who grieved beside the family.
"If anything could have made this experience any easier, it was Nancy's empathy and hope for our future," she says. "I am thankful that Nancy was one of the people who [my sons] were fortunate enough to have been loved by."
Wallin says that she is honored and humbled to receive the DAISY Award. As an obstetrics nurse, she says that she feels privileged to take care of families during and after the birth process.
"My co-workers and I take pride in helping parents who experienceunexpected outcomes," says Wallin. "It is a gift to be a nurse. I'm still reeling when I think of the day of the award, the wonderful response offamily, friends, co-workers, supervisors and directors, and most of all, the wonderful couple who nominated me. Their generosity overwhelms me."