Memorial Announces Kaitlyn Darby BSN, RN January DAISY Foundation Award Winner

Congratulations to Kaitlyn Darby BSN, RN, a nurse in Memorial's ICU. Read more about Kaitlyn's nomination here.

From nominator: 

My husband’s 79-year-old grandmother fell outside of her home and was brought into LCMH ED with a hip fracture. My husband and I have helped to take care of her for the past 10+ years and she has lived with us off and on throughout that time when she needed extra care and when she completely lost her home due to Hurricane Laura. She was such a light and a “spitfire” at the same time, but also the type of person that would love wholeheartedly. She, unfortunately, became more unstable and required to be intubated and coded a few times while in the ED. They were able to stabilize her and transfer her to 3T ICU early the next morning. We made the difficult decision to withdraw care, as she would not have wanted to live with the great deal of life support that she was requiring.

Throughout this time, Kaitlyn Darby took care of her and was so supportive, attentive, and caring. She truly is a rock star and one of the best ICU nurses I have ever seen. She moves with intent, yet exudes compassion. She was a rock throughout the day, helping to walk family members out of the ICU to the restroom, making sure our grandmother’s hair was fixed and that she was clean and presentable. She gathered chairs, called the priest to offer last rites, and just was present. These may all sound like small gestures, but when you feel like the world is crumbling around you, having someone like her is what truly got us through the day.

The next part is something I will truly treasure for the rest of my life but was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. When it came time to withdraw care, I asked Kaitlyn if I could be in there with her and the respiratory therapist, to which she did not hesitate. Turning off the drips, disconnecting lines, silencing the monitor, and extubating her was very difficult but she was treated with such dignity and respect. Being able to be involved in that process to make sure the last time our family saw her, she was free from all of the tubes and lines and looked at peace was such a meaningful experience. She was then surrounded by family and Kaitlyn made sure that she was not struggling and kept her comfortable. She was outside of the door the entire time and did not leave. She offered support and made us feel at ease. We cannot say enough how remarkable the entire experience was and how grateful we are for the providers and nurses at LCMH. We know our family member received the best possible care.

About DAISY

In late 1999, at the age of 33, Patrick Barnes awoke with some blood blisters in his mouth. Having survived Hodgkins Disease twice, he was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with the auto-immune disease, ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura).

Said his father, Mark Barnes, "We are so blessed that we were able to spend the eight weeks of his hospitalization with him and his family. During those weeks, we experienced the best of Nursing. We were there to see the clinical skill that dealt with his very complex medical situation, the fast thinking of nurses who saved his life more than once, and that nursing excellence that took years to hone to the best of the profession. But frankly, as a patient family, we rather expected that Pat would have great clinical care. That was why he was in the hospital. What we did not expect was the way his nurses delivered that care - the kindness and compassion they gave Pat and all of us in his family every day. We were awed by the way the nurses touched him and spoke with him, even when he was on a ventilator and totally sedated. The way they informed and educated us eased our minds. They truly helped us through the darkest hours of our lives, with soft voices of hope and strong loving hugs that to this day, we still feel."

Just days after he died, the family began talking about what they would do to help fill the giant hole in their hearts that Pat’s passing had left. His wife came up with the acronym, DAISY, standing for diseases attacking the immune system. As they discussed what to do in Patrick’s memory, first and foremost, they wanted to say Thank You for the gifts nurses give their patients and families every day. That is when the family created The DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses.