Nervous, anxious and scared, I walked into room 1141 of the Oncology floor at Palmetto Richland Hospital. Glancing around the room, I gingerly sat in a chair and wondered what was next in this cancer battle I was fighting. Dana Pennington walked into my room armed with a smile and the expertise I would need to get through the next month at the hospital. She quickly eased my first fear as she shared I did NOT have to wear a hospital gown. For almost two hours, Dana sat in my room and discussed the port I would be receiving, the chemo I would be taking, and the side effects I could start feeling. Slowly those feelings of fear and anxiety subsided. Dana was phenomenal in explaining what the next month would entail and when she finally left my room, I felt I had a great nurse and a new friend.
Many reservations I had about going to the hospital and beginning chemo. It was with great reluctance that I went. When I found out I had one to three months to live if treatment wasn’t started immediately, I knew being in the hospital was important. If I would not have had Dana as my nurse, I’m not sure I would have been so comfortable with my new situation. She truly made me happy to be living at the hospital. I looked forward to seeing her every day.
I knew I would lose my hair to chemo. I struggled with this daily and many tears were shed. At one point, I was at a loss of what to do and I asked Dana if she could talk to me about it. This wonderful nurse came into my room, sat by my bed, held my hand, and we talked about my hair. Not only did we talk about it, we cried about. Dana shared her thoughts about my hair and offered her opinion of what I could do. After spending time with her I decided to have my head shaved before it started falling out.
Not only did she listen to the concerns I had but she also went above and beyond as a nurse. On one occasion, my port gave me problems. Dana listened to my problem. When the fluids bothered my stomach, Dana took care of it. When I was exhausted, fatigued, and hurting, Dana did all she could to ease my pain.
No one asks for leukemia. No one asks to be put in the hospital. No one asks for the pain and tears that come with cancer; but having Dana Pennington as my nurse helped make all those things okay. As I walked out of Palmetto Hospital I left with a peace of mind and a new friend… my nurse, Dana Pennington.
I nominate Dana Pennington from the Oncology unit as a deserving recipient of the DAISY Award. Her clinical skill and especially her compassionate care exemplify the kind of nurse that our patients, their families, and our staff recognize as an outstanding role model.