I am a regular patient at Lynchburg General Hospital due to chronic medical conditions. Sandra works as a resource nurse for Centra and has previously been my nurse on the oncology unit. During an admission in mid-February of this year, Sandra was my nurse for a day while I was in the VAU on the 5th floor of the east tower. Sandra recognized me as a former patient and was kind, attentive, and empathetic. We shared a number of pleasant conversations, and she did a good job of helping me to stay on top of my numerous medications to best manage my symptoms. Perhaps most noteworthy, and the reason I believe she is a DAISY Nurse, is the degree to which Sandra went above and beyond to care for me not only as a patient but also as a human being.

The rooms in the VAU were physically altered during the pandemic, resulting in a lot of clear glass between the room and the hallway. Because of this, it was really difficult to get my room to be quiet and dark at night. While the unit staff did their best to dim the hallway and nurse station lights and keep the noise levels down overnight, I am a sensitive sleeper and I struggled to get a good night’s rest. I mentioned this to Sandra, to which she listened thoughtfully, and apologized for the situation. While she could have stopped there, Sandra took it upon herself to see what she could do to help. From the shifts she has worked on the oncology unit, Sandra recalled that they have sound machines in their patient rooms. While it ultimately ended up not working out (the sound machines are screwed into the wall), Sandra reached out to the staff on the oncology unit to see about borrowing a machine for me. Later that night, after Sandra’s shift had ended, she reappeared in my room with a bag in hand. She told me that she got something for me and hoped that it would be helpful. Come to find out, Sandra had run down to the hospital’s gift shop and purchased a sleeping eye mask for me at the conclusion of her shift. It was the sweetest gesture and it meant a lot to me. I was also thankful to have better sleep for the remainder of my admission.

I have come across many wonderful nurses at Lynchburg General, however, Sandra’s gestures of kindness and generosity in thinking of ways to help me sleep and then to make it happen with her own money and on her own time was especially noteworthy. Thank you, Sandra! Now I have an eye mask to keep in my hospital bag that will always remind me of Sandra’s thoughtfulness and caring nature.