Joy is an exceptional nurse. She always goes above and beyond. In this instance, similar to many others, Joy’s shining personality and love for her patients and their care stood out to me.

This past year has been difficult for our community and in particular our staff who have cared for the COVID patient population. Joy has approached the pandemic with such a positive attitude. This patient has recently lost his wife while they were both in the hospital with COVID. Joy has gone above and beyond with this patient to keep his spirit and drive to live “alive.” She spends quality time in the room with this patient, getting to know him. His appetite has decreased over the days, but Joy listened to him and found out a few of his favorites. Joy brought him biscuits and gravy and he ate about half, which was a big deal. The following day she brought him a biscuit and a Dr. Enuf. He sure did enjoy the treat! Joy has shared tears with this patient as they discussed the loss of a spouse.

Joy reaches her patients on a level most nurses never do. She shows this compassion to all her patients. She truly realizes how isolated these patients are when they are here for COVID. Joy doesn’t just provide the necessary and ordered care, she provides care that helps them heal emotionally as well. Joy is a person and nurse to be admired for her caring attitude for our hospital, our patients, and our community.