“She sat down with me and let me cry”

Cancer treatment can be scary; and driving a long distance on little sleep to get that treatment can feel overwhelming. So it means even more when someone sees your distress and takes the time to ease it.

That was the experience one patient had while at Spears Cancer Center on the ATRMC campus. Having driven from the coast to Grants Pass on a Monday to begin her treatment for breast cancer, she was reserved and quiet. Meredith Krauss, a nurse in Radiation Oncology, took notice.

“I became the most important person in her day,” the patient wrote when nominating Krauss for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. “She sat down with me and let me cry. Then she worked with me on a list of solutions I never could have thought of for myself. She made sure I put the plan into action.”

Their bond continued every day of treatment. Although all the nurses were incredible, the patient said, Krauss made a lasting impression.

“Everyone I have come across on my journey with breast cancer has been wonderful. But this lady went above and beyond.”

Patients and others may nominate nurses for a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at Asante Rogue Regional or Asante Three Rivers, based on factors including care of and compassion for patients and their loved ones. DAISY is an international program that rewards and celebrates the clinical skills and the compassionate care given by nurses every day.

The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 in honor of Patrick Barnes, who died in Seattle of idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura. His parents created the DAISY Foundation (DAISY is an acronym for diseases attacking the immune system) to recognize nurses for the exceptional care they provided their son during his illness. Hospitals around the world have since adopted the program.