Matthew Dunn, RN, a staff nurse in the Coronary Care Unit, was recently named the August DAISY Award Recipient for McLeod Regional Medical Center. Dunn was nominated by a patient’s grandchild for his extraordinary care and compassion.

To recognize those Nurses at McLeod Regional Medical Center who are true examples of Nursing Excellence, patients, family members and co-workers may nominate nurses for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

The patient’s family wrote, “Matthew truly displayed all of the McLeod values. He treated my family as if we were his own. If Matthew hadn’t been there for us, we would have lost our most prized possession, my grandmother. Matthew’s quick response and gentle spirit was exactly what we needed. He not only was there for my very ill grandmother, but also went out of his way to inform and update the family. My family and I feel that without Matthew and Dr. Pannu, Grandma would not be here today. Currently Matthew isn’t her nurse, but he stops in to check on her when he can. Thank you for having a compassionate and extraordinary nurse like him. He is a true blessing.”

Addendum: “My grandmother passed away at McLeod Hospice on August 29, 2019. She remembered Matthew on her deathbed when she didn’t remember her family. She knew that he cared for her as we did. This past August, the one-year anniversary of her death, our family still remembers Matthew by name and speak of him. We knew that he cared greatly for our Grandma, but he also cared for us. He provided support to our family through his ability to explain to us the things that were going on in layman’s terms, to reassure us and provide us a sense of peace. He did everything in his power to make Grandma comfortable. He changed her possibly 20 times in one hour without any signs of frustration or dislike for having to do this task. Grandma would have night terrors and he would leave her door open so that she could see him, and she could go to sleep. He made us aware that pastors were on site. He got clergy involved and they prayed with my Grandma and our family. I can’t tell you the comfort this provided.

“He is the epitome of what a nurse should be. I have been inspired to go to nursing school because of Matthew. He has inspired me to help others and be that person for others that he was for us. He truly went above and beyond. We knew that he cared as much as we did for Grandma and we weren’t in this alone.”

About the DAISY Nursing Award
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, California, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. 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. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique way of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

Nurses may be nominated for their strong clinical skills and the compassionate care they provide. Nomination forms are available on each nursing unit at McLeod Regional Medical Center or can be found at www.McLeodNursing.org.

Recipients of the DAISY Award are chosen by the DAISY committee, led by nurses at McLeod Regional Medical Center. Awards are given throughout the year at presentations in front of the nurse’s colleagues, physicians, patients, and visitors. Each honoree receives a certificate commending her or him for being 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.” The honoree is also given a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.