Stephanie Forester honored with 2nd DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses

Stephanie Forester, BSN, RN, of Christiana Hospital’s Labor and Delivery Team, received a second DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses for June 2017. She previously received a DAISY Award in 2016.

Christiana Care DAISY Award recipients are nurses recognized for meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of patients and families by displaying exceptional clinical skills, compassion, respect and partnership.

Forester’s DAISY nomination came from a mother who shared how Forester helped her through a heartrending birth and loss of her baby.

“I feel as though Steph is family,” she said. “I went into triage after my water broke knowing that our little girl would be born soon. However, our situation was unique. We were going to have a daughter born with thanatophoric dysplasia, who would not live long after birth. Steph knew this when she walked us to our room.

“Steph sat next to me, held my hand and cried with me. She made me feel safe and secure and loved. She allowed our family and friends to come see us and pray with us. She allowed us to take our time and prepare our hearts.

“After moving upstairs to High-Risk Labor and Delivery, I had a placental abruption. There was blood all over my bed and I started to panic. When Steph held my hand, looked me in the eye and said, ‘It’s going to be OK,’ I knew I was in good hands. She stayed calm and collected, worked quickly and made sure I got to an operating room ASAP.

“The entire team was really great. Dr. Fink and Nurse Kristen Bell were amazing and made me feel cared for and safe. During the C-section, Steph came over and held my hand and kept reassuring me that everything was OK. I wanted to spend time with my daughter, and knowing that I didn’t have to worry about my body allowed me to take that precious time. Steph and Kristen both stayed with me well past their shifts to make sure I made it out OK and remained stable. So thankful for that!

“Steph had a shift the next day and came in to check on me. She not only did her job amazingly, but she sat on my bed while my husband showered and talked to me about healing my heart and not just healing my body. She made sure I took care of myself. She made sure my husband and I know we have people to turn to and that there are resources. She gave me hugs and helped clean up our room.

“Stephanie Forester was truly an angel during the time we spent at Christiana. She will forever be in our memories when it comes to our sweet baby girl. She helped us more than she will ever know. We can’t thank her enough.

“Thank you for having an amazing staff, especially when it comes to unique situations like ours. We felt very loved.”

Established in 1999, the family of J. Patrick Barnes created the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award to honor his memory with a tribute to the skillful and compassionate care he received from his nurses during his hospitalization. Today, more than 2,600 health care facilities in all 50 states and 15 countries honor nurses with the DAISY Award.

The Professional Nurse Council at Christiana Care selects DAISY Award recipients using a blinded selection process based on nominations from patients, families, staff and volunteers. All nurses — inpatient, outpatient and VNA — are eligible.