Tainiesha Smith's dedication to the nursing profession and human compassion is extraordinary. When I think of the DAISY Award, I think about nurses who are well rounded, compassionate, going above and beyond and doing an exceptional job. Tainiesha Smith epitomizes every aspect of this description.
Tainiesha, over the past year, experienced her own health issues. She hardly missed a day of work and was always true to her profession in providing the best care to her patients. Honestly she deserves the DAISY Award just on these merits alone. But I want to talk about how she helped me personally.
I have a very dear friend who lives in New York State; she was recently diagnosed with breast CA. This friend and I lost another friend to breast cancer at the age of 35 approximately 15 years ago, so our anxiety level was through the roof. My friend of course turned to me because I am a nurse. It has been years since I worked as an oncology nurse and I know that treatments have changed. Tainiesha, without missing a beat, called my friend in NY and spent a good amount of time on the phone with her, explaining, listening, encouraging and supporting someone she had never met in person. Now isn't that what nursing is all about? Tainiesha is an inspiration and one of the best nurses around.