Patient Feels Adena Health Nurse Deserves ‘Crown Full of Stars’

When Adena Fayette Medical Center med/surge registered nurse Diana Smith one day reaches heaven, one 94-year-old patient she helped believes she will have a “very beautiful crown filled with stars waiting for her.”

In the meantime, Diana can enjoy a different type of reward for her hard work: Adena Health’s prestigious Daisy Award for the fourth quarter of 2023.

The honor comes as the result of a nomination made by that same 94-year-old patient who first encountered Diana when admitted to the hospital with atrial fibrillation, a broken elbow and humerous, a concussion, and multiple facial contusions.

“Diana immediately became my lifeline during the next few days,” the patient wrote. “I had to use a wheelchair to get to the bathroom instead of my usual walker, and this caused me a lot of pain while waiting for the surgeon’s decision on how to treat my broken elbow as I was not a good candidate for surgery because of my age.

“Diana stayed with me and explained what medicines I was taking and why they were being prescribed. I felt very safe and secure under her care and I loved here warm nature and sense of humor. I felt like she could have been my daughter.”

In addition to keeping her patient well-informed, Diana made sure she wanted for nothing and, concerned about the pain the patient was feeling, made sure she was regularly communicating updates to the physician until the patient’s discharge.

Just a few months later, the patient was again admitted to Adena Fayette Medical Center, this time in connection with high blood pressure.

“My immediate thought was about Diana,” the patient wrote. “I felt better when she came into my room and gave me a hug. I was surprised that she remembered me, and we were able to resume our friendship. In spite of being the only RN on the med-surge wing, Diana spent a lot of time with me and gave me all of her attention. Again, she was always ready to explain the extra medications I was given and the reasons behind the various tests being conducted.”

In her nomination, the patient recalled something told to her as a child by an aunt that those going to heaven will get a crown, and when you do something nice for others, a star will be placed in that crown. That, she said, means, “Diana must have a very beautiful crown filled with stars waiting for her when she gets to heaven.”

The Daisy Award is recognized internationally as a mark of extraordinary nursing care and has been adopted by health systems around the globe as a way of honoring their caregivers. For her selection, Diana received a special pin for her employee badge, a hand-carved Healer’s Touch sculpture signed by the artist in Zimbabwe, a bouquet of daisies and a box of cinnamon rolls to share with her colleagues. A recognition banner will also be hung in her unit throughout the quarter until the next Daisy Award recipient is selected.

Patients can find out how to nominate a deserving nurse for a quarterly Daisy Award by emailing jyoakum2@adena.org or contacting Jenna Yoakum at 740-779-8061.