Crystal Wormet, RN, has been named a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses winner at SSM Health at Home – Hospice.

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. 

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family. 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. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill was inspired by this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The award recipient is selected based on specific criteria to receive The DAISY Award. Awards are presented to one recipient on a quarterly basis at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors. 

Wormet was nominated by a patient’s family member who wrote:

“Crystal was an amazing, caring nurse. She saw him once a week and was always honest with him about his health. He really liked that about Crystal. She was always willing to do anything to make him comfortable. She always explained anything that changed with his medicine. Crystal always allowed him to ask questions and always took the time to listen and explain things. She always made things easy. As he got closer to passing, there was a close bond between them. He trusted Crystal. He was very fortunate to have Crystal take care of him.” 

Wormet was recently recognized during a brief ceremony. She received a certificate commending her as 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.” Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin, and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

“When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night,” according to Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, president and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation. “Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses SSM Health at Home – Hospice are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.