Please join us in recognizing these Texas Children’s nurses who make a difference in the lives of our patients and their families every day. The comments included below are excerpts from each winner’s nomination.
January 2022
Alexandra Flaherty (Pavilion for Women, L&D)
My wife had several diagnoses during pregnancy that made us very nervous for the delivery of our first child. We got to the hospital and Alex was our new nurse. She immediately made a great impression, not only through her obvious competence and experience in labor and delivery, but also through her bedside manner and how she was able to help prepare us for what was coming. My wife’s actual delivery happened later…and she had to go the OR and was then sent to the ICU. Alex was kind enough to come by and check on us in the ICU. And to top it off, she came by and checked on us again when we were finally ready to leave the hospital and bought us a cake to celebrate the safe arrival of our son. We feel that her level of care and compassion exceeded anything that would normally be expected of a nurse and she definitely made an impact on us.
February 2022
Victoria Balderas (11 West Tower)
Our three year old daughter was admitted for pneumonia and a bacterial infection. Over the course of three weeks, she would need a chest tube and surgery for a collapsed lung. After being cleared of infection, we moved to the 11th floor. Victoria was immediately helpful, knowledgeable and took a genuine interest. She treated us like family and shared a special bond with our little girl. Victoria showed us the best way to give her a bath and wash her hair with all her tubes.
Even though we couldn’t see Victoria’s smile due to her mask, we could always feel it. Victoria was a miracle we didn’t know we needed. Our baby needed to smile, to laugh and to feel normal. Victoria helped my daughter do all those and more every time she was around.
Jordan Sidebottom (14 West Tower)
Jordan was so sweet and went the extra mile for my son. She always got on his level to talk to him and tell him what she was doing and always answered my questions. She played Paw Patrol cars with him and watched it on the iPad with him. After she got his IV and NG tube in, she brought him a “pup tag” with the characters from the show. She wrote his name on it and made a big deal for him because he was so brave during the procedures, and that’s what Paw Patrol does. This made a WORLD of difference not only for my son but for me his mom as well. He has had his “pup tag” in his hand ever since! Jordan is definitely a God-given answer to our prayers.
Madelyn Johnson (Legacy Tower, PICU 10)
Maddie had a patient with a poor prognosis who was rapidly declining and at risk for being intubated and may not be able to be extubated. Maddie advocated for the patient’s older sister to come to the bedside before the patient became too sick and needed to be intubated. Because of Maddie’s advocacy and compassion for the situation, both the patient’s sister and grandmother were allowed to be at the bedside prior to the patient decompensating. The patient’s sister was able to interact with the patient while he could still engage. Thanks so much for caring for this sweet family and for your compassion and dedication to them. Thank you for advocating for them during this difficult time.
To learn more about The DAISY Award and past honorees, click here.
Submit a nomination today!
The DAISY Award is for all nurses in any setting. Nominations are accepted year-round and can be submitted by anyone at Texas Children’s – a patient, family member, peer, physician, clinician or other staff member – who experiences or observes extraordinary compassionate care being provided by a nurse.
To access the nomination form, click here or visit http://www.DAISYnomination.org/TCH.