Justyna Iskrzycki, R.N., has been recognized as a DAISY Award winner by FirstHealth of the Carolinas. Iskrzycki, who works in a group of nurses who serve in multiple departments, was nominated by a patient who beat COVID-19 in December 2020.
“I recently found myself under Justyna’s care after being hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia. On Dec. 11, 2020, my condition began to deteriorate, and I was having difficulty breathing. I was terrified, faced with the possibility of having to be placed on a ventilator or even dying,” the patient wrote in a nomination letter.
The patient said Iskrzycki recognized the distress and was at the bedside throughout the terrifying ordeal.
“Justyna, together with the respiratory therapist and attending physician, moved me to ICU, where I spent the next five days. I was able to be discharged on day seven with no further oxygen requirement,” the patient wrote. “I credit Justyna with saving my life. Later, when I thanked her, she eschewed credit for this, insisting it was a team effort. She is a credit to the profession and absolutely one of the best.”
Kay Boroughs, R.N., Iskrzycki’s manager, said she often goes above and beyond.
“She is dedicated to care for her patients and families to make a difference during their stay,” Boroughs said.
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was established by the Daisy Foundation, a not-for-profit, based in Glen Ellen, Calif. The foundation was started by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease.
The care Barnes and his family received from nurses inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patients’ families. Today, there are more than 2,800 health care facilities in all 50 states and 17 other countries honoring their nurses with the DAISY Award.
FirstHealth of the Carolinas, which includes Moore Regional Hospital, Moore Regional Hospital-Richmond, Moore Regional Hospital-Hoke and Montgomery Memorial Hospital, recognizes an extraordinary nurse each month and has since 2014. For more information on the DAISY Award, or to nominate a deserving nurse, visit FirstHealth’s website.
Feature photo: From left to right: Deana Kearns, R.N., administrative director, corporate education & professional development, Justyna Iskrzycki, R.N., Kay Boroughs, R.N., Karen Robeano, DNP, R.N., chief nursing officer and vice president, patient care services, and Dee Anna Johnson, R.N., administrative director, transfer center.
Courtesy photo/Contributed.
