Katie Blakely, RN, exemplifies what it means to be a patient advocate and to go the extra mile. Her compassion and dedication to patient care is unmatched, and her patients frequently comment on the amazing care she provides. She has served as a nurse for seven years at the LCI Cabarrus Radiation Oncology clinic, which is only 1 of 2 radiation oncology sites that operate multiple treatment machines during the day.

Despite the large number of patients being treated, Katie provides individualized, holistic care to each of her patients and never settles for anything less than excellence. An example of this occurred recently when a patient arrived in her department for treatment and was visibly upset. Katie immediately stopped what she was doing and assessed the situation. This patient is a bilateral amputee, wheelchair bound, incontinent, has to use briefs, and lives in a skilled nursing facility. She is dropped off by facility transport for all of her radiation and chemotherapy appointments. She must go through this process alone without any support or someone to advocate for her. After Katie spent time talking with the patient, she discovered she had been in the facility all day receiving chemotherapy and had been unable to have her brief changed. The patient was told there was no one available to help her change, and she would need to bring someone with her to treatments to assist her. Because she must utilize transport services, she had no one to do this for her. The patient was upset, crying, and embarrassed to be sitting in a soiled brief. The patient expressed that she had lost trust in the treatment team and wanted to give up. The important bond between the patient and the treatment team had been broken. Without hesitation, Katie sprung into action. She took care of her physical needs by cleaning her and getting her a new brief on. But more than just caring for the physical needs the patient had, she cared for her psychological and emotional needs and demonstrated deep compassion for the patient. Katie laid the groundwork to start building back the trust the patient had lost. She reassured the patient that she would ensure this was done daily in the radiation department, even if it could not be done during her infusion. And she made good on that promise. What is exceptional about this promise is that patients do not typically see nurses during their daily treatments on the machine. Katie made a point to go above and beyond to help this patient. This would have to be in addition to the busy clinic schedule that nurses run daily and would not be an easy task.

But Katie didn’t stop there. After hearing about this patient’s experience, Katie went above what is required and reached out to the clinic giving her chemotherapy to find out more and make them aware. She was given the same information regarding patients who needed help with toileting or brief changes. Again, Katie did not settle for this answer. She ultimately reached out to her clinical supervisor for guidance as she felt like there had to be a better solution than letting this patient sit all day on infusion days without getting her brief changed. She wanted better for this patient and was not willing to let this be the final answer. After discussion throughout nursing leadership within LCI, arrangements were made for this patient to receive assistance with her brief changes.

Katie’s courage and staunch advocacy resulted in action being taken to make sure the patient was getting the care she deserved. Although this was a physical need that was met, the result was so much more. The patient knew she had someone who was willing to stand in the gap for her and advocate for her. Once again, Katie didn’t stop there in caring for this patient. During her treatment course, the patient and Katie formed a tight bond. Katie sought to know her as a person, even discussing one day how much they both love a good home-grown tomato sandwich. Since the patient was in a skilled nursing facility, she had not had one in a very long time and did not have access to fresh produce. One day, Katie saw that someone in the department had brought in home-grown tomatoes to share. Katie immediately thought of the patient and gave her one so she could enjoy a tomato sandwich at her facility! The patient was so happy and appreciative! This may seem like a little thing, but it took Katie being invested in knowing the patient as a person and forming a relationship that made it possible. It’s the little things that matter most to patients and lead to the big things - like this patient completing her cancer treatment and preventing any further problems such as a pressure injury that could have been devastating for her.

This example embodies what the DAISY Award stands for: compassion, courage, and integrity. Katie restored this patient’s faith and trust in the treatment team and demonstrated what it means to care for a patient holistically. Katie’s mission was to not only correct an issue affecting her physical well-being but also her spiritual well-being and while this is just one story, Katie implements this practice into her daily care. There is a quote that says, “You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you’ll win, no matter the outcome.” Katie's story is a win for this patient, and she strives to win with all her patients every day.