Memorial Announces Heather Romig as November Daisy Winner

Congratulations to Heather G. Romig, RN of the Family Birth Center at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women. She was nominated by a coworker for her extraordinary compassion and care for her patients.

From the Nominator:

Heather has been a labor and delivery nurse with us for quite some time and always shows compassion to her patients. This particular patient’s case was a little different than what we are used to in labor and delivery. Heather had labored a patient all day. During the pushing phase of labor, there were complications with the fetal heart tones, and the patient was brought to the OR for an emergency c-section. Heather remained calm and diligent during this time and cared for the mother as she always does, with compassion and grace. The ending to this delivery was one that a labor nurse never wants, the infant passed away after some time spent in the NICU. This is where Heather’s heart for her patient shined. She checked on this patient even when she was no longer the nurse. She checked on the infant while in the NICU. She bought a small gift and covered her shift so she could deliver it to the funeral home for the family.

Heather is an exceptional nurse each day she comes to work at the Family Birth Center. But, on this particular day and the days to follow, she was not only an exceptional nurse, but an exceptional person. She put her feelings aside to go above and beyond for the patient and family to make sure they knew they were prayed for and thought about while honoring their sweet baby, who is now with Jesus. Heather is definitely living out her calling, doing the sacred work of an LCMH nurse.

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.

For more information regarding Heather's nomination, click here.