Two Sparrow Nurses honored with the DAISY Award

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Published: Jan. 31, 2014

Two Sparrow Nurses were recognized this week for working together to help a Patient see her newborn before her urgent transfer to another facility.

Heather Rosales, was in liver failure and delivered her daughter Quinn at 34 weeks. Quinn weighed in at 3 pounds 11 ounces, and was admitted to Sparrow's Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

RNICU Nurse Tina Hummel, R.N., and Critical Care Float Nurse Christy Meissner, BSN, R.N., worked together to bring mom and baby together before Heather was transferred to another facility to be evaluated for a liver transplant. Since Heather was intubated, sedated and unable to leave her bed, Christy woke Heather up enough to see her baby before the transfer, while Tina brought Quinn from the RNICU.

Heather's husband and family got to record the very emotional reunion, leaving everyone with treasured memories, said Heather. The Nurses also brought a doll to Heather to pick up her scent to leave in her daughter's incubator.

Heather and Quinn are doing well and returned to Sparrow to thank Tina and Christy. The two Nurses received the DAISY Award, which is given each month to those who demonstrate Nursing excellence.

DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, and the DAISY Award is a national program created in memory of J. Patrick Barnes died in 1999 of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura, or ITP at 33 years old. His family was overwhelmed by the skillful and amazingly compassionate Nurses that cared for Pat, and the DAISY Foundation and Award were created as an expression of their gratitude.

The DAISY Award is a way to recognize and make visible the contribution and value of Nurses wherever nursing is practiced.

Tina and Christy both received a certificate, a DAISY pin to wear at work and beautiful serpentine stone sculpture carved by the artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. The sculpture depicts the embracing relationship Nurses have with their Patients.