Karen Bailey is the kind of nurse who consistently goes out her way to give a little extra to each patient and family that she cares for.

We recently had a child transferred from out of state to our unit for some specialized treatment. The parents actually lived in a state different than the transferring hospital, as their child had been transferred to this state for initial treatment, so three different states were involved. The parents stayed in the one of hospital's apartments during the child's extended stay, but they were cut off from their friends and family for this period of time. They had stated numerous times to many staff members that they were very lonely as their family was 2 states away.

Karen cared for the child on numerous occasions and developed a close working relationship with the parents. She knew through working with them that they were having a hard time coping with being in a strange place so far away from home. Recently, Karen found out that the family would be alone during the Easter weekend so she invited them to her home to share her family's Easter dinner.

Karen's selflessness and empathy for this family allowed them to be in a friendly family atmosphere instead of alone in a strange town and state.