Photo submitted to Times Observer From left are Lauren Gruszka, Colleen’s former supervisor, Colleen Rex Haight, Joe Akif, WGH clinical director of nursing and Rick Allen, WGH executive director.

When her mother got sick, Colleen Rex Haight, RN helped take care of her.

It was always a natural fit for Colleen to become a registered nurse.

“I never had much interest until my mom was sick my junior year of high school with viral meningitis and spent a week at Hamot in their infectious disease unit,” said Colleen. “She was very sick for months afterwards and I helped take care of her a lot during that time. After that, it seemed like a good career choice and something I thought I could do. I had no idea then how much being a nurse really affects the fiber of your being. There’s a quote out there that talks about how the only way I knew how to help myself was to help others, and I feel that with my soul. It has been the hardest but most rewarding thing I have ever done.”

Helping others is something she’s good at, and she’s being recognized for it.

The Medical-Surgical/Oncology Nurse at Warren General Hospital has been honored as the first DAISY Award recipient for Extraordinary Nursing. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

Colleen was nominated by a family member of a patient she cared for on the Medical-Surgical Unit last year. The patient’s family said Colleen was “very attentive, pleasant, and smart.”

A family member said Colleen was the type of nurse that communicated well between the patient and physician, making the patient more comfortable with their stay at Warren General Hospital.

“The DAISY award has been around since 1999, but this is WGH’s first year taking part in the program so it’s feeling very special to be the first recipient,” said Haight. “There will be a nurse every quarter awarded the DAISY award at the hospital from now on and I think it’s so cool I got to be the first one to start this tradition here. They have you sign a banner when you receive the award and I was so nervous being the first one to sign knowing it’ll be around for a while.”

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.)

The care Patrick 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.

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen by a committee at Warren General Hospital to receive the DAISY Award. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by colleagues, patients, and visitors. Each recipient receives a certificate commending her or him as an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.”

Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

“I think it is an amazing thing that J. Patrick Barnes’s family was able to focus on something positive during their grieving from the loss of a young loved one,” said Haight. “It speaks volumes to how much they appreciated the care their loved one received to be able to think of that after such a sad loss. I couldn’t be more honored to be appreciated by the patient and his family. The patient and the patient’s wife who nominated me also work in healthcare so it made it feel extra special that she thought I was deserving, even though I feel I was just doing my job. That patient’s wife knows what it really is like to be a nurse. I was so happy when I received the award that they gave me the pamphlet with the patient’s name so I could reach out to them and let them know how much I appreciated it.”

Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, President and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation said, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses at Warren General Hospital are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

Chief Nursing Officer Joe Akif added, “We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program. Nurses are heroes every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”

In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 3,900 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care Nurses, Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects and for nurses participating in medical missions. More information is available at daisyfoundation.org.

“The rewards are definitely the patients,” said Haight, whose mom is also an RN. “Seeing them get better or just being able to make them feel better in some small way. I wouldn’t be doing this job if wasn’t for the patients. Helping a patient pass away peacefully, with their dignity, and being there for the families has been one of the most rewarding parts of my job.”