McLaren Greater Lansing nurse Lindsay Lukavsky was honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the exceptional care nurses provide every day.
The nomination, submitted by a patient’s family member, read as follows:
“I brought my mother into the emergency department with severe epigastric pain and vomiting with much angst about going due to lack of good care in the past from another hospital. Lindsay was so caring and compassionate with my mother. The emergency department was very busy, and Lindsay had a lot of sick patients, but she always made us feel just as important as the others. My mother and I could hear her in rooms next door to ours caring for other patients, and we quickly realized how lucky we were to have Lindsay as our nurse.”
The family member went on to say that while her mother was there for many hours, Lindsay took it upon herself to advocate for a doctor to see the patient as soon as possible and the patient was admitted with pancreatitis. “I have been around many nurses in my lifetime as I am a retired echo tech of 25 years. By far, Lindsay is the best, most caring, compassionate, wonderful, and knowledgeable nurse I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. If my family should ever need emergency care in the future, you can bet we will come to McLaren emergency department and ask for Lindsay.”
Lukavsky was recognized by hospital leadership and coworkers and received a certificate commending her for being an “Extraordinary Nurse,” as well as a sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona people in Zimbabwe.
Lukavsky said she always knew she wanted to be a nurse and loves the fast-pass care within the emergency department.
“The emergency department is often the first line of care a patient receives, and I love being able to make the initial connections with my patients and make sure they have a good experience, even often at their most vulnerable state,” said Lukavsky. “I always try to treat my patients as if they are family, so to have been recognized means a lot to me.”
About the DAISY Award
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation, based in Glen Ellen, California, was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon autoimmune disease. The care Barnes and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of patients and their families.
“When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced firsthand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night,” said Bonnie Barnes, president and co-founder of the DAISY Foundation. “Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the superhuman work they do. The kind of work the nurses at McLaren Greater Lansing are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of the DAISY Award.”