Some may read this as a biased nomination, and although I am related to the nominee, I could not be more touched and inspired at a purely human level. My mom is MaDonna Hagan. She has worked at Swedish for a little over 15 years and has been a nurse for twice as long. Growing up, I relished the stories she would tell me from work. I witnessed her joy from doing above and beyond acts of kindness for her patients, as well as deep sorrow as her sickest patients became her family. She worked on the Multi Trauma unit for 12 years, and 3 years ago moved down to the rehab unit because she joked she was getting too old to get beat up by the intense patient demographic that populates MTU. (She must’ve forgotten how strong little old ladies with brand new hips and knees can be.)

The other week at work I was talking with our miracle performer aka social worker 'A'. He started talking about how his career started by working in the MTU. I commented on how he must know my mom MaDonna, even though she’s a night nurse. His eyes widened and he exclaimed, “Your mom is MaDonna?!” I laughed and said yes because she has become a well-known legend at this hospital. He then began to tell me that there was another legend on MTU, but not a nurse—a long-time patient.

According to A, C had recently passed away after years of battling. He told me that as his last day was approaching, C's mom had said she wanted to thank one person specifically for the care provided to her son over the years, his nurse MaDonna. A few days after this initial story, A told me he had also learned that C himself had a last dying wish to see MaDonna to say thank you and goodbye the day before he died. Heartbreakingly, his wish didn’t come true as the request got lost amongst the chaos of hospital life. My mom hasn’t worked on multi-trauma for 3 years, yet C and his family all remembered my mom as being his favorite nurse, the most caring and compassionate person, the best nurse that ever took care of him in the years he was at Swedish. Three years after she left MTU, her care and love still rang strong in the hearts and minds of this family. To hear that a man who hadn’t seen my mom for over 3 years, on his death bed, wanted to say goodbye to her speaks indescribable volumes of the memorable nursing care my mom provided for him.

C is just one of the many patients whom my mom has impacted during their days in the hospital. She provides this level of care for all her patients, constantly thinking of ways to brighten her patients’ days, whether that’s decorating their room, creating ways for them to gain independence, or cracking jokes on their worst days. Her colleagues from her MTU days to her now rehab crew can attest to my mom’s incredible passion and work ethic she brings to the floor. The love she has for complete strangers is something that can’t really be taught, yet somehow she seems to pass that standard of excellence on.

MaDonna Hagan is the embodiment of what this award is about and why it was created: consistent, exceptional patient care that exceeds the standards of basic nursing skills by creating an environment for patients and their families to make them feel seen, whole, and unconditionally loved at their darkest.