Registered nurse Rachael Lewis (l.), with CMMC Vice President for Nursing Sharron Sieleman.

Registered nurse Rachael Lewis has been recognized as a Central Maine Medical Center DAISY Award recipient.

The DAISY Award is sponsored by the DAISY Foundation to recognize nurses who consistently demonstrate in their work the following attributes as nursing professional role models: compassion, critical thinking, passion about life, patient- and family-focused care, patient advocacy, and support of all healthcare team members.

Lewis works on the night shift on the fourth-floor Memorial Wing (M4) Pediatrics/Adult Medical-Surgical Nursing Unit, recently relocated from the third-floor Thompson Wing (T3).

M4 Nurse Manager Alison Dehetre nominated Lewis for the award after a family noted the exceptional care she provided when they recently experienced the passing of a loved-one. Shortly before Christmas, Danny Libby brought his wife, Marjorie, to CMMC with symptoms of confusion, weakness and shortness of breath.

“It was easy to see from all of her visitors that she was loved by many,” recalls M4 Nurse Manager Alison Dehetre. “But none loved her more than Danny. Understandably, his grief was severe as he watched his partner of 42 years slip away. Rachael Lewis would come in on her days off to visit, and both Marjorie and Danny loved to see her. They spoke of Rachael constantly.”

After Marjorie passed away, her family said the nursing care they witnessed at CMMC was outstanding. They mentioned several nurses and highlighted particular acts of kindness. Danny said he found it difficult to identify a single nurse for special recognition. “He chose Rachael because she demonstrated her passion for nursing in the caring approach she took, not only for the patient, but for the family,” Dehetre says.

Lewis began work at CMMC in July 2012 after graduating from nursing school. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in nursing and is very active in her church.

“We are very fortunate to have the level of nursing expertise that Rachael, and many other nurses at CMMC, provide to our patients and their families,”  said CMMC Vice President for Nursing Sharron Sieleman. “Having worked at CMMC for just under two years, Rachael’s compassion and holistic approach to patient care have already been an example for all who have worked with her, especially on the night shift, when some patients and their families may feel their most vulnerable. Rachael instills a sense of safety, calm and confidence in her approach to caring for others.”

The DAISY Award was established in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (DAISY is an acronym for “diseases attacking the immune system”), to acknowledge the exceptional care he received from the “unsung heroes” of the nursing profession. The foundation is headquartered in Glen Ellen, CA.