DAISY Award

Laura West, RN, BSN
Davis 10 PICU/PCICU

Laura has been the primary nurse for a patient over the 2 years of his life. First stepping up to be a primary nurse for a patient who spends a lot of his life in the hospital is amazing. The dedication it takes to coordinate a complex patient’s care as well as support the family who live in a remote area of Northern California is commendable. This pediatric patient had many complex medical issues, he also had a very complex social situation, his mother was his sole caregiver with multiple other children in her care. She struggled to give him the care he needed over the two years of his life. Laura was an excellent role model for this mother who needed ongoing support. Laura then went above and beyond to drive to Stanford when Andrew was hospitalized for an anoxic event that took his life. Laura stayed overnight in a hotel and attended a family meeting with a new medical team to support Andrew’s mother as the medical team guided her to compassionate decannulation so he could die peacefully. The car ride and hotel room, all out of pocket were not a barrier for Laura to support this mother who was alone and needed a friend/professional guide as she made decisions to the best of her ability for comfort care for her son.

I want to nominate Laura for the DAISY award, she is an extraordinary nurse who has gone above and beyond her role to care for Andrew for 2 years and support this mother in her unfortunate time of need.