“Proud To Be A Nurse”

L-R Jason Wolford, Katie Wolford, Victoria Walker

Gerber Memorial nurse receives award for going above and beyond 

Fremont – Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial surprised Victoria Walker, registered nurse, with the DAISY Award after being nominated by Katie Wolford of Fremont. The award recognizes exceptional nurses – and in Walker’s case, helping bring a party to the patient’s bedside.  

On Feb. 15, Wolford sought care at Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial. The trip turned into an admission and emergency surgery. Her youngest of three children, Kevin, was turning 8 years old just two days later. 

Due to her surgery and recovery, Wolford and her husband, Jason, had no choice but to cancel their son’s birthday party that was to take place the following day, on Saturday, Feb. 16. 

“Kevin was taking my surgery and me being gone pretty hard and I felt so bad not being there. The last thing that we wanted to do was to cancel his birthday party,” Katie Wolford said. “Jason and our children came to the hospital Sunday, Kevin’s birthday, to visit me and Victoria came in the room with a piece of cake, some ice cream and sang happy birthday to him. This made him feel so special. Victoria was not only attentive to me, but to my family. She is a great nurse and I want her to know how grateful we are for her and her care.” 

For Walker, bringing cake and ice cream – and a little cheer – was all part of the job.

“I don’t believe my actions were going above and beyond,” she said. “From our conversations, I knew that Katie was devastated that they had to cancel Kevin’s birthday. As a mother myself, I know how important your children are and you want everything to be perfect. I couldn’t change the situation, but I could bring in cake and ice cream and turn an unfortunate situation into something memorable. I am proud to be a nurse and will do whatever is necessary to make sure our patients are well cared for, even if it means throwing a birthday party in an unlikely location.” 

A signature program of the DAISY Foundation, the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses recognizes individual nurses and clinical teams throughout the year for their extraordinary, compassionate care. More than 3,600 health care facilities and nursing schools across the US and in 21 other countries participate every year.

“The DAISY Awards were created to express gratitude to nurses around the world for their compassion and Victoria is a model for all of us when it comes to compassion and caring,” said Meleah Mariani, chief nursing officer with Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial. “Our nurses take great pride in their job and are accustomed to going above and beyond. While they don’t ask for any recognition, I am grateful this award has been established so we can show our nursing staff how much we appreciate their care, compassion and dedication to the patients and community we serve.”

For more information about The DAISY Award and the Foundation’s other recognition of nurses, faculty and students, visit www.DAISYfoundation.org. 

Patients, visitors, nurses, physicians, and associates are encouraged to nominate a deserving nurse by filling out the nomination form at reception located at the main hospital entrance. Completed forms can be dropped off or emailed to [email protected].