May 2022
Gabriel
Marin
,
BSN, RN, CEN, CCRN
9A Cardiac & Cardiothoracic ICU
Loma Linda University Medical Center
Loma Linda
,
CA
United States
The spouse was so touched to see everyone come together to pay their respects and thanked every single person that cared for him.
I would like to nominate Gabe for the DAISY Award because I believe he provided excellent patient care to a recently passed patient. During the patient's hospital stay, the patient and Gabe had a conversation about both being former military veterans from the Air Force. Unfortunately, the patient's condition worsened, and he ended up passing. This passing affected a lot of nurses in the unit, myself included. We all cared for this patient and his significant other, especially because we would see him on a daily basis, and all formed a special friendship with him. The day of the passing, Gabe had the wonderful idea to get a US flag, fold it in a triangle, and provide this flag to the spouse (whom we all have become friends with and have gotten used to seeing daily) from the nurses, physicians, and other members of the team. He gathered the nurses that were available in the unit, lined the staff from the hallway to the patient's room, and explained how we would all pass the flag as a symbol of how we all cared for the deceased patients. We would start from the furthest nurse and pass it along until it met him; he then would provide the flag to the spouse and offer some kind words on behalf of all the nurses on the floor. After we passed the flag, he stated how it was a sign of respect from the nurses and how it was from all the nurses that cared for him during his stay who acknowledged his military background. The spouse was so touched to see everyone come together to pay their respects and thanked every single person that cared for him and expressed gratitude for all the hard work we all put into his care. This was so special, not only for the family member but also for the staff to be able to be present for the spouse and to be part of the patient's last moments. I appreciate Gabe doing that so much, and I know other nurses that cared for this patient also appreciated it as well. I have not seen anyone go above and beyond like he did for the patient, the family, and the staff.