I have worked with Lara for nearly all my time here at Baptist. Over the years, I have seen her go the extra mile for many of our patients.

One patient told me how Lara, in her off time, helped assist the building of a ramp at her house so she could enter her front door at discharge. Something that had been causing her anxiety for days while here because she did not have the help to organize the assembly. 

For another patient with a new cancer diagnosis, she constructed a mock Harry Styles with an IV pole, gown, basin, and pictures just to bring a smile to this patient’s face because Harry is her favorite musician. 

Recently, I witnessed Lara sit at the bedside of a dying patient, holding his hand and reassuring him that his family loves him dearly even though they were not here yet. When this patient passed with only strangers in his room, Lara stayed at his bedside until the family arrived so he would not be alone. 

The genuine grief she had at his passing, and her unwavering commitment to all her patients, continually inspires me to not only be a better nurse, but a better human being. Lara’s compassion and commitment to her patients and her coworkers should have already won her a bouquet of daisies in her 15 years here, so I am writing this in the hope that she will achieve the recognition she deserves.