I came to Baptist South with a Sickle Cell Crisis. Sickle Cell will have you wondering if this crisis will be the one to end your young life. Having a disease that is invisible sometimes means we become invisible to health care workers. When I was admitted to the 7th floor my pain got worse and I was in 10/10 pain without any relief. I was also 17 weeks pregnant so making sure my care was accurate and safe was important. One morning Savannah Vanderhorst walks in and from the start she wanted to know the details of my pain and what she could do to help me. She treated me as if I was her own family member sitting in the bed. I usually hear a huff and puff when I ask for simple things like help using the bathroom, but not Savannah. She would glove up and patiently help me to the bathroom. She would wipe tears as I laid back in bed. Even though she had other patients she made me feel as if I was the only patient on the floor and wanted to make sure I was able to get better to get back to my 3 kids at home. When my family was in the room, she would explain to them my progress for the day and assure them that she was pushing to get adequate pain management. She would explain the biology behind every abnormal test result. Because of her I know what Troponin is and how it impacts my heart! She shed a tear when my tears would fall, her giggles would activate my longing to want to laugh through the pain, her willingness to assure my family that a solution would be found made me believe that I would get home to my babies again. Thank you, Savannah, for caring for me so deeply and for helping me feel like I was worth caring for.

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Savannah is a perfect example of what a nurse should be. My sister was experiencing excruciating pain due to a sickle cell crisis. When she felt like she wasn’t being heard by her care team. Savannah advocated for her and was able to get her pain under control. My sister also had to work from her hospital room and had a series of online meetings to attend. Savannah intentionally planned her nursing care around those meetings so that my sister could focus on them. Each time Savannah walked into the room, she brought joy, warmth, and sympathy. Any patient would be truly blessed to have her.

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My daughter was born with Sickle Cell Anemia. Her dad and I unknowingly had the trait, but she is a warrior and has managed to be successful while having the disease. I have watched people treat my daughter as if her pain was all in her head, but yesterday I got to meet Savannah Vanderhurst and she changed my perspective on healthcare professionals. She treated my daughter with so much dignity and I could see the strength within my daughter building back hour by hour because of Savannah restoring her confidence in her health. Savannah would explain to our family what the lab work shows and if she was improving. We all need a nurse like Savannah, who cares deeply, educates, and respects her patients.

Thank you, Savannah, for all you do for our patients, families, and team members! Congratulations on winning the DAISY Award!