SALISBURY, MD – Laura Evans, RN, of TidalHealth Peninsula Regional’s Emergency Department (ED), has been selected as the June 2024 recipient of the Daisy Award for her compassionate care and special attention provided to a pediatric trauma patient.
Her nomination, below, was written by a Nursing Administrative Supervisor:
“A one-year-old pediatric trauma arrest came into the ED as the result of an accident in which both parents passed away at the scene. The child was resuscitated despite likely catastrophic injuries and transport was arranged to have the child transferred to Johns Hopkins.
While waiting, this outstanding nurse arranged for the child to have a stuffed animal placed in his unresponsive grasp, played him lullabies on her phone, and continually spoke to him about how strong he was despite her countless responsibilities.
While the situation obviously took a toll on the team and likely the nurse herself, Laura arranged for resources to come to the unit to meet the emotional needs of the staff as well as simultaneously served as a surrogate for the child when his parents no longer could.
Laura truly exemplifies compassion in its most outstanding form!”
Evans was recently honored with the Daisy Award in a ceremony before her colleagues. She received certificates commending her for being an extraordinary nurse, and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon autoimmune disease.
The care Barnes 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 patient families.
