Our child is a four-year-old Australian girl who resides in Maryland while her family is on long-term military service within the United States. She and her family were traveling through Columbia, South Carolina on vacation when she became unwell, resulting in Emergency Room attendance. She was admitted to the Infants and Toddlers Ward during the early hours the next morning. She was suffering from fever, seizures and neurological dysfunction. Our girl tested positive for Influenza A, however, the acute and extreme nature of her condition caused concern for medical staff that there may be other unresolved causes. During her hospitalization, she was initially very unresponsive with slow brain function in addition to her severe flu symptoms. After several days, she recovered to her normal, alert and vocal four-year-old personality. While being cared for in the hospital, she underwent numerous tests including extended EEG monitoring, CT scan, lumbar puncture, blood draws, and brain MRI. She required high-frequency observation, cannulation, and regular oral medication. All of this was extremely stressful for our daughter and for accompanying family members who included parents and two older sisters (ages 6 and 8).
Preston Minton was one of my daughter's care nurses throughout the majority of her admission period. Throughout his service as her designated RN, Preston consistently demonstrated an exceptional level of clinical skill combined with compassionate care. Both of these skills made a very meaningful difference to our daughter's diagnosis, treatment, recovery and overall hospitalization experience in an environment that was unfamiliar, and - for several days -highly uncertain.
Throughout our daughter's observation, medication, monitoring, testing, and various procedures, Preston Minton provided an exceptional level of clinical care. Her condition progressed from mostly unresponsive and therefore submissive to care, through to vocally alert, stressed and resistive. Preston employed a broad range of clinical and compassionate skills to meet her needs, win her trust and confidence, and work with her to achieve diagnostic, medication and recovery outcomes. Additionally, Preston turned our little girl's highly stressful and challenging emergency hospitalization into an experience that was as positive as possible within the circumstances. Further, Preston continuously demonstrated exceptional care for her family members through interaction, explanation, understanding, and compassion, all of which were aimed precisely at the level that was necessary for all the family members involved.
Because "providing the best care matters", Preston Minton's clinical skills, warm understanding, and the meaningful difference he made to our precious daughter and her family fully achieved Palmetto Hospital's vision "to be remembered by each patient as providing the care and compassion we want for our families and ourselves". Preston Minton is an extremely deserving nurse. His outstanding nursing service each and every time he entered our room clearly demonstrated the fundamental objective of all nurses, worldwide, for which he should be considered a role model for all medical professionals to match. Preston is a true DAISY Nurse.
(At Preston's ceremony (in SC), we were fortunate to FaceTime with this family in Virginia, who had prepared signs and decorations for Preston and were very happy to see him again!)