My daughter was a patient in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit/Special Care Nursery at Longmont United Hospital for the first 5 weeks of her life. Her father and I visited her every day and spent countless hours on the unit with her. During the extensive hospital stay, we interacted with a number of medical professionals charged with the care and wellbeing of our daughter. There were many high caliber professionals who were wonderful to work with and we feel very fortunate that our little one received such great care during her first weeks of life. There is one individual, however, that stood out for us. Penny Vance was our daughter's nurse for many of the days of her hospitalization and it is not an exaggeration to say that Penny made all the difference for our family during that difficult and challenging time.
Penny represents the epitome of what skilled nursing is. I personally witnessed her impeccable attention to detail and compliance with hospital protocols. I also witnessed her patient and caring nature when she interacted with me, my family, and other professionals at the hospitals. I believe that nursing in the NICU requires the professionals to provide care both to the patient but also care and guidance to the parents. It was evident to me that both of these aspects come naturally to Penny. She understands the unique type of care required in the NICU. For example, when it came time for my daughter's first bath, Penny involved me in the process because she understood how meaningful the experience can be for a first-time parent. While she cared for my daughter, she also cared for me as she showed me how to safely bathe my tiny and vulnerable baby and allowed us to share the special experience. In that moment, my daughter and I were both lovingly and skillfully cared for by Penny and I will always be grateful for that. Now that we are home, I think of Penny each time we give our daughter a bath.
My husband and I are forever thankful for Penny's love and care. She helped guide us in our earliest days as parents and she encouraged us in thoughtful and heartfelt ways as we met the challenges of having our infant hospitalized for such a long time. It was always a comfort to walk in for a visit with our daughter and to see that Penny was her nurse for the day. She made some of the most unbearable days bearable for us. It is my understanding that the DAISY Award recognizes nurses who embody the heart and soul of nursing?extraordinary compassion and skillful care. That perfectly describes Penny Vance. Longmont United Hospital and our community are lucky to have her.