Donna was one of the first nurses our grandfather had after transferring out of the ICU to the floor after his bowel resection. Donna consistently delivered excellent patient and family-centered care and always addressed our questions and concerns in a timely matter. She truly treated him as if he was her own grandfather.

We had Donna as our nurse for a few days post-op and things were all heading in the right direction, we were even looking at discharge Saturday or Sunday. So when we said goodbye to Donna Friday night, we did not think we would see her again. However, that weekend, our grandfather had increasing abdominal distention and vomiting, and our discharge was canceled. When Monday morning came around, we were SO thankful and relieved when we saw Donna walk through the door to tell us she was his nurse for the day. We immediately knew we were in good hands and knew we had a nurse that would push for the answers we needed.
Later that morning our grandfather started developing some respiratory distress and extreme shortness of breath when ambulating to the bathroom. This was a change from the previous days along with the vomiting and abdominal distention. Donna was on the phone all morning with the surgeon trying to get orders to help our grandfather's discomfort. After what felt like several hours, she finally got the order to drop a sump on him to relieve the distention. During the entire procedure, she explained to my grandfather exactly what she was going to do and how she was going to do it. She was so cautious and gentle especially after the several failed attempts due to the narrowing of his nares that we were unaware of. I will never forget the tears that she then wiped from his eyes because he felt so relieved.

Later that afternoon, as Donna checked his oxygenation, she found that he was in the low 80's and was really working to breathe. Our family was extremely concerned. She once again got on the phone to call the surgeon and advocated for a chest x-ray and CT scan so we could get some answers, because the person we saw in the hospital bed that day, was not the grandfather we knew. Shortly after she was in touch with the physician, he was quickly wheeled off to radiology. Within a few hours, we found out he had developed not one pulmonary embolism, but several, including numerous clots in his legs as well. All of the complications they warned us about prior to his procedure were now our reality. He had taken 5 steps backward today and we were so anxious, upset and unsure of what the future looked like. It was then determined that he needed to be transferred to the ICU for closer monitoring of the clots, heparin, underlying cancer, and post-op bleeding complications.

Donna consistently practices excellent nursing care and exemplary communication skills in all aspects of her work. She is an extremely hard worker and will ALWAYS go the extra mile (or two) for her patients. Throughout her busy days, she always took the time to sit down with my grandfather and our family to explain everything that was happening. Without Donna's dedication, persistence and advocacy for our grandfather, we are not sure he would still be here today. Thank you, Donna, for everything you did for our grandfather and our family. Your unit, hospital and mostly your patients are so lucky to have you!!

Note: This is Donna's 2nd DAISY Award!