Summary
“Have you ever met someone so selfless and compassionate it was clear they were put on this earth to serve others? That is Stephanie.”
The first sentence of Stephanie Brown’s DAISY Award nomination perfectly summarizes why the ICU nurse at Asante Rogue Regional stands out as extraordinary. Brown has been with Asante almost seven years, and during that time has earned a reputation as a highly creative ambassador of goodwill to both her co-workers and her patients. She’s the bringer of candy, the holiday decorator and a compassionate caregiver who make her patients and their families feel special.
“We recently had a devastating situation where a young mother passed away while in the ICU,” wrote a co-worker who submitted the nomination anonymously. “Stephanie hand-painted a portrait of the mother. She later presented the painting to the family for them to keep. Such a priceless gift she provided to them.”
Many times, Brown would offer comfort to grieving family members, even as struggles mounted in her own life. She lost her father unexpectedly, and her sister was diagnosed with cancer.
“Some of us might have turned into ourselves or even expressed anger,” the co-worker wrote. “But Stephanie continued on with her incredible acts of love and generosity.”
That generosity extends to her teammates. Brown regularly shows up to work with a Ziploc bag full of candy for the staff. She also spends her own money to decorate the unit during the holidays. One year, she turned the ICU into a winter wonderland. Other years it became Who-ville and after that, a candy shop.
“And what did she do with the Who-ville items? She donated them to the pediatrics department, of course; every hand-painted, life-size cutout included,” the co-worker wrote.
It has been said that healing comes in many forms. Brown embodies that principle by using compassion, whimsy and art to make the ICU — and her patients’ lives — a little brighter.
Patients and others may nominate nurses for a DAISY at any Asante hospital, based on factors including care of and compassion for patients and their loved ones.
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.
