Sydney Salyers, BSN, RN

When my wife and I received the devastating phone call that my mother had suffered a serious fall resulting in a severe brain hemorrhage, our world stopped. We jumped in the car in Northern Virginia and raced to Roanoke. We walked into a terrifying reality: my mother was in a coma-like, completely unresponsive state, surrounded by the machines necessary to monitor and sustain her life.

It was in this dark hour that we met Sydney Salyers. Sydney was assigned to my mother on our second day. Given our extensive travels across the US and overseas, we have interacted with healthcare systems worldwide; however, the attention, clinical dedication, and pure compassion Sydney provided surpassed any caregiver approach we have ever witnessed. She didn't just bring exceptional nursing skills to her shift; she brought a profound humanity that transformed my mother's care and our family's experience.

Despite my mother being completely unresponsive, Sydney treated her with the utmost dignity, speaking to her continuously as if she were fully awake. Mom had already been cleaned and had her gown changed prior to our arrival. While there, we observed Sydney gently washing Mom’s face to remove dried blood. At one touching point, she brought in a dry shampoo kit. She leaned in, gently spoke to my mom, and said she was going to wash her hair "to get her hair looking nice again." Mom still had blood residue matted in her hair near a laceration on her forehead. Sydney took the deliberate, tender time to painstakingly clean her. In a highly clinical, terrifying environment, Sydney restored a beautiful sense of grace and dignity to my mother.

Beyond her extraordinary bedside compassion, Sydney was an invaluable clinical advocate. She was present when the neurosurgeon discussed my mother's prognosis. Overwhelmed by shock, we didn't have many questions in that moment. However, after the doctor left, a flood of questions hit us. When we turned to Sydney, she stepped up immediately. She quickly provided instructions on logging into the portal to read the clinical notes. When we asked to see the actual CT scan images, she immediately logged into her laptop and brought the imaging up on the screen. She spent significant time walking us through the images, explaining the complex neurological trauma. She possessed the rare ability to translate complex medical details into understandable, non-technical terms with immense patience.

The depth of Sydney’s attentiveness became even more apparent when my mother was later transferred to the palliative care unit (PCU). Upon arriving at the PCU, we immediately noticed a comforting green blanket on her bed. We recalled mentioning to Sydney in the ICU that green was Mom's favorite color. Sydney had thoughtfully written this personal detail on the dry-erase board in Mom’s room prior to the transfer, ensuring the next care team knew how to bring her a sense of personal comfort.

Tragically, my mother passed away several days later. Losing her has been incredibly difficult, but we will never forget the day we spent in the ICU with Sydney. She not only made my mother as comfortable and dignified as possible in her final days, but she also treated us with a level of grace we will carry forever. We were so deeply struck by Sydney’s compassion to our family that we felt utterly compelled to share this feedback.

Sydney Salyers embodies the very essence of the DAISY Award. She provides the "super-human work" and compassionate care that this foundation seeks to honor. She is, without a doubt, an Extraordinary Nurse.

Thank you for providing an opportunity to honor nurses like Sydney.