Maureen is a selfless person, who possesses extraordinary skills that she radiates as a nurse in the Ambulatory Surgery Unit. Maureen has worked a Registered Nurse at Danbury Hospital since 1992 working in the ED, Outpatient Infusion Clinic and currently in the Ambulatory Surgery Unit. The Danbury News Times published a letter of appreciation. The article read:
"I would like to report an extreme act of kindness by a nurse at Danbury Hospital named Maureen Wiley.
She called me a week before my back surgery to record my medical history. After all the questions she assured me everything would be fine and asked me if I had any concerns. I told her that my mother had passed away six weeks before from a stroke and that I was by her side daily for over a week. I told Maureen that my mom would always bring me a stuffed monkey as a good luck charm. I told Maureen that I collected monkeys and I was very scared as now I would not have a good luck charm to hold onto before surgery. She told me that I should not worry as my mom was looking down upon me from heaven and that I would be all right. Still very upset and scared, I said goodbye and that I hoped for the best. During pre-op preparation, a nurse peeked into my room with a gift bag. She told me her name was Maureen. I opened the present and found a cute little stuffed monkey that I could hold onto. I started to cry because I never thought a nurse from the week before would remember our conversation. I named the monkey Mo Mo. I was able to hold it until they put me asleep. When I woke up in recovery hours later the staff had placed Mo Mo in my hands. When I opened my eyes for the first time after surgery and saw the little monkey, I knew my mother was with me and that all had gone well.
Thank you, Maureen and all the other caring doctors and nurses at Danbury Hospital. You are the best!"
As a fellow coworker, I can attest to Maureen's kindness and compassion. In addition to her schedule here in the ASU, she works in the Samaritan Health Center Pediatric Clinic providing medical care to individuals who do not have insurance. As the Clinic's Nursing Director, she provides the needed guidance to medical students and gives insight to visiting high school students who are deciding on their career path in college. On a personal level, my sister, who is also a Registered Nurse, suffers from trigeminal neuralgia. She suffered from debilitating pain on the right side of her face. Maureen witnessed the same ailment in her own sister and suggested acupuncture treatments. The clinic that specialized in such treatments was in New Jersey, a 2 1/2 hour drive for my sister. Maureen arranged for my sister to stay in her 80-year-old mother's home and offered to drive my sister to her appointments, given my work schedule. I admire Maureen for her kindhearted spirit and her passion to help others. She is truly a DAISY Nurse.