Sam exemplifies the compassion and dedication that is the spirit of the Daisy Award! She has worked in the Hematology Oncology Unit at Rady Children's Hospital for the last 7 years. During that time, she has cared for many of our sickest H/O patients across the continuum of care: from the initial shock of diagnosis, through aggressive treatment and hopefully to cure, or more sadly, through end of life care. Since our Daisy Program's inception, she has been consistently nominated by her co-workers. This month, 2 of her young patients added their voices in appreciation:

One said, "Sam saved my life during a bad reaction to chemotherapy! She reacted quickly, gave me some meds, and stayed with me until I could breath again."
The other patient nomination described Sam as "always cheerful and fun and nice and helpful!"
With her fellow nurses, Sam is always willing to lend a hand and share her knowledge and experience. She is admired on the unit for her calm, capable leadership skills, and infectious laughter. She is an excellent primary nurse, taking on the most challenging patients and coming up with creative strategies to help them cope with treatment. She is an invaluable member of the supportive care team, caring for patients at end of life with gentleness and great compassion. We can't think of anyone more deserving for this month's Daisy Award than Samantha Faircloth!