Taylor Luke, registered nurse at South Georgia Medical Center on 3 West, received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses for October. The award is part of the international DAISY Foundation developed to recognize the amazing care provided by nurses everyday.
 
Luke was nominated by a former patient’s family member who commended Luke’s professionalism, saying he went above and beyond in treatment and care. The family member described him as patient, kind and gentle-- the truest definition of a servant’s heart.
 
However, it was a unique act of kindness that really set their experience apart. “One of the last night’s we were there, Taylor stopped in to say hi. While we were talking, he folded a paper napkin into a beautiful rose and gave it to my sister. After our father passed, my sister kept that rose above her visor as a symbol to remember to stop and enjoy the little things."
 
The nomination continued by sharing the story of how her sister drove around with the rose for a little over a year.  Unfortunately, when she took her car in to be washed, the rose blew out of the car and landed in a mud puddle.  The carwash attendant threw it away. When she picked up her car, she asked where the rose was.  The attendant explained what had happened. In tears,the sister retrieved the rose from the garbage and carefully dried the dirty, wet paper rose.
 
"A few weeks passed and I contacted Taylor and told him what happened. I made arrangements to meet him at the hospital. With skillful sneakiness, I got her paper rose and took it to Taylor.  He carefully refolded the paper rose. Taylor will never fully understand the significance of what he did that day. My sister shed tears of joy.  No words of thank-you will ever be enough. We have had many encounters with Taylor over multiple hospital stays and we are grateful for the role he played in Daddy's final days.”
 
SGMC continues to ask patients and fellow employees to honor nurses they feel go above and beyond in their care. Nominations are reviewed by a committee based on criteria that include compassion, teamwork, leadership, attitude and skills and knowledge.
 
Daisy awards are presented monthly in front of the nurse’s colleagues, physicians, patients, and visitors. Each honoree received a certificate commending her or him for being an “Extraordinary Nurse” and a beautiful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand –carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.