Mandi Simpson, RN, was honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at Sarah Bush Lincoln on May 29.
Simpson was nominated for making a big impression on a patient who had emergency surgery. The patient’s wife expressed her gratitude to Simpson in the following letter:
“Recently, my husband was rushed in for emergency surgery. Before they wheeled him away, our nurse, Mandi, whispered ‘he’s got the A team and he’ll be just fine.’ She had a beautiful smile and arms wide open for hugs. The surgery lasted longer than Mandi’s shift, but before she left, she walked into the waiting room to pass out hugs to our family. She mentioned that my husband and I reminded her of her own family. She also told us that she’d pray for us all. I feel as if she was an angel sent to comfort me.
Mandi really did go above and beyond. It wasn’t just her smile, it was the look in her eyes that showed me how much she cared. That’s how I knew she was sincere 100 percent. Thank you and God Bless you Mandi. P.S. Hubby is doing awesome.”
Sarah Bush Lincoln has joined more than 2,700 healthcare facilities by becoming a DAISY Award hospital partner. During the award presentation, Simpson received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a unique, hand-carved serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, entitled, “A Healer’s Touch.” The DAISY Award was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for diseases attacking the immune system.) The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and families.
Patients, visitors, nurses, physicians and other employees may nominate a deserving nurse for The Daisy Award and a nurse will be selected by SBL’s DAISY committee every month to received this special honor. Nomination forms are located at www.sarahbush.org and at all SBL clinics and on patient floors. The forms can be submitted to any Sarah Bush Lincoln staff member, or sent via email to daisy@sblhs.org or mail to Sarah Bush Lincoln, DAISY Nursing Award, 1000 Health Center Drive, Mattoon, IL 61938. For more information, contact SBL DAISY coordinator, Jamie Easton, RN, at (217) 238 -6255 or jeaston@sblhs.org.