Author: John Ortega
"We had a patient who had been hospitalized for nearly three months. Christina found out that the patient’s grandson was playing high school football in the state championship game, and she came into the hospital on her day off. She brought in her personal iPad and made it possible for the patient to watch her grandson’s game."
McLaren Greater Lansing nurse Christina Zimmerman was honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the exceptional care nurses provide every day.
Christina’s nomination, submitted by one of her co-workers, read as follows: “We had a patient who had been hospitalized for nearly three months. Christina found out that the patient’s grandson was playing high school football in the state championship game, and she came into the hospital on her day off. She brought in her personal iPad and made it possible for the patient to watch her grandson’s game. She even went further by making the patient a shirt with her grandson’s name and number on it. The patient was overjoyed and so thankful to Christina. This is just one example of the ways Christina shows compassion well beyond her job description. She is a kind and wonderful nurse, and she is so deserving of this award.”
As an added bonus, the patient got to watch her grandson and his DeWitt High School teammates defeat River Rouge, 40-30, in the Division 3 title game at Ford Field to win the program’s first state football championship.
Zimmerman was rewarded by hospital leadership and co-workers and received a certificate commending her for being an “Extraordinary Nurse,” as well as a sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona people in Zimbabwe.
“This is a validation of all the hard work I put in over the years,” Zimmerman said of the award. “We treat hundreds of patients in here, and I always try to be there for them during their darkest hour when they are having health issues.”
About the DAISY Award
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation, based in Glen Ellen, California, 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 patients and their families.
“When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced firsthand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night,” said Bonnie Barnes, president and co-founder of the DAISY Foundation. “Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the superhuman work they do. The kind of work the nurses at McLaren Greater Lansing are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of the DAISY Award.”