Media release from Atrium Health Floyd:
Imagine it’s your birthday and you’ve been hospitalized for a long time with no chance of a visit from family members to lift your spirits. If Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center registered nurse Caroline Pace was your nurse, she’d make a point of brightening your day.
Pace demonstrated an extraordinary act of compassion for a patient’s birthday by organizing a heartfelt celebration for him. As a result, Pace was presented with a DAISY Award on Wednesday.
“She provided a cake and thoughtful gift, lifting the patient’s spirits and making him feel truly valued,” said Sheila Bennett, senior vice president and chief of patient services at Atrium Health Floyd, as she announced the award. “Her generosity, including dedicating her own time and resources outside of work, reflects the highest standards of care and the values that Atrium stands for.”
Pace, a Rockmart High School graduate, said she was upset when she discovered no one was going to help him celebrate his birthday.
“We have a chance to help people during their most vulnerable times, and it was rewarding to know that I could make a difference,” she said.
The family of Patrick Barnes established the DAISY Foundation after Barnes died from an autoimmune disease while being treated in a Seattle hospital. DAISY stands for ‘Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem.’
Bennett presented Pace with a DAISY pin and a sculpture entitled “A Healer’s Touch.” Members of the Shona ethnic group in Zimbabwe hand-carve the sculptures.
The nurse and her teammates were also treated with cinnamon buns, a DAISY tradition because it was one of the few things Barnes could eat while he was hospitalized.
If you know an Atrium Health Floyd nurse who provided exceptional care to you or a loved one, you can nominate them for a DAISY award by visiting floyd.org/DAISY and completing the online form.
