Last week I had a 4-year-old patient who came from the clinic to our Pediatric unit because she needed a blood transfusion. This patient had been diagnosed with a serious life changing illness just 4 months ago and the family has understandably had challenges coping with their situation. The patient had an implanted port that was difficult to access. The clinic had it accessed after the 3rd attempt, but it was very positional. About 30 minutes into the first unit of blood the port stopped working. Spencer Ball came up from another unit, on a very busy night, and was a welcomed familiar face to this patient's mother He gave his all to make the port work but had to de-access and then try to re-access it. After 2 attempts, he got another nurse to come help and together they were able to access the port and the patient was able to receive the blood she desperately needed.
Both nurses demonstrated their clinical skill, but moreover, Spencer Ball spent a lot of time on this endeavor and while doing so was a model of compassion with the patient, parent, and co-workers in this very trying situation. I am thankful Spencer Ball was on duty that evening! He really "saved the day". He is a true DAISY Nurse!