Stephanie Merritt
April 2026
Stephanie
Merritt
,
RN
Bay Area Hospital
Coos Bay
,
OR
United States
Stephanie’s kindness, presence, creativity, and genuine care made an immeasurable difference not only to my father but to our family.
Stephanie Merritt was one of my nurses while I was recovering from surgery to repair a fracture in my right hip. I can’t say enough about this young woman. One time, after a particularly difficult day with my first experience getting out of bed with PT, I burst into tears. Stephanie was right there with pain meds, words of encouragement, foot rubs, and warm wraps to ease protesting muscles. She stayed with me, helping me even though she had tears in her eyes too. When she learned of my interest in knitting, she shared a picture of a sweater she had made. I felt like I was being cared for by a member of my own family. She was there every time my doctors came by and stayed with me after they left to explain what had been said.
Every day she worked, she would stop to say hello and ask about my well-being, even if she wasn’t my nurse. Her care was always kind, gentle, professional, and boy, is she knowledgeable. She always treated me with such dignity. She really made me feel special. This hospital can be so proud of this young lady. Thank you, my dear Stephanie. I will remember you always with much love.
***
Stephanie provided extraordinary care for my father during his recent hospitalization. My father was struggling not only physically, but also emotionally and spiritually. Already with poor appetite and now having lost much of his ability to taste, combined with little memory of how this occurred due to the severity of his reaction to chemotherapy, he had lost interest in eating. With that came a noticeable decline in his strength and hope. Stephanie took the time to really understand him: his preferences, worries, and the things that brought him comfort. She delivered excellent, attentive personal care. She connected with him as a person.
One of the most impactful things she did was help him find a meaningful way towards recovery by patiently exploring different foods and approaches to eating until she found the key, something that had felt impossible for weeks. With compassion, creativity, and determination, she helped him rediscover small moments of pleasure through something as simple as food. That shift became a turning point in his recovery. Stephanie’s kindness, presence, creativity, and genuine care made an immeasurable difference not only to my father but to our family. She reminded us what nursing at its best truly looks like, nourishing the whole person. She is exceptional, and we are deeply grateful for the care she provided.
Note: This is Stephanie's 2nd DAISY Award!
Every day she worked, she would stop to say hello and ask about my well-being, even if she wasn’t my nurse. Her care was always kind, gentle, professional, and boy, is she knowledgeable. She always treated me with such dignity. She really made me feel special. This hospital can be so proud of this young lady. Thank you, my dear Stephanie. I will remember you always with much love.
***
Stephanie provided extraordinary care for my father during his recent hospitalization. My father was struggling not only physically, but also emotionally and spiritually. Already with poor appetite and now having lost much of his ability to taste, combined with little memory of how this occurred due to the severity of his reaction to chemotherapy, he had lost interest in eating. With that came a noticeable decline in his strength and hope. Stephanie took the time to really understand him: his preferences, worries, and the things that brought him comfort. She delivered excellent, attentive personal care. She connected with him as a person.
One of the most impactful things she did was help him find a meaningful way towards recovery by patiently exploring different foods and approaches to eating until she found the key, something that had felt impossible for weeks. With compassion, creativity, and determination, she helped him rediscover small moments of pleasure through something as simple as food. That shift became a turning point in his recovery. Stephanie’s kindness, presence, creativity, and genuine care made an immeasurable difference not only to my father but to our family. She reminded us what nursing at its best truly looks like, nourishing the whole person. She is exceptional, and we are deeply grateful for the care she provided.
Note: This is Stephanie's 2nd DAISY Award!