Sammy is an extremely dedicated and hardworking nurse. She has gone above and beyond caring for a particular patient in the CICU in the last few months. Not only does she care for the patient's physical needs, but she has also spent time and tons of energy to provide development stimulation for this extremely sick patient (even coming in overtime on days Sammy knew would be big days for the patient). I was shocked when I saw the patient sitting in the tomato chair, playing with toys while intubated (and tough to sedate properly!) It was heartwarming to see the patient up and acting like a normal toddler when she'd been stuck in bed with minimal interaction for a month. It also helped to motivate the patient's mom to participate in her care more, as she'd distanced herself as a coping mechanism. Ultimately both the patient's physical, mental, emotional, and neurodevelopmental care was taken care of by Sammy and I think it played a huge role in keeping her healthy enough to finally get the transplant she had so desperately needed and waited for!
Note: This is Sammy's 2nd DAISY Award!