Exceptional Acute Care Nurse Honored at Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital

Wanda Maxwell (center) with the individuals who nominated her for the DAISY Award

Wanda Maxwell, RN, was recently honored as The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses recipient at Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital. Awarded to nurses biannually at the hospital, The DAISY Award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

The nominations submitted from Wanda’s patients’ read:

“Wanda was my grandma’s nurse and showed so much compassion while reading her lab results and X-rays. She made sure that we understood everything that was going on. As I sit here with my grandmother, I have Wanda to thank for more days and memories with her.”

“Last week, I had a hysterectomy. Once my catheter was removed, I was unable to urinate. Wanda was helping me walk to the restroom and I was in such severe pain that I fell over. She was able to quickly figure out what was going on, and she re-inserted my catheter and I felt much better. She was the most gentle and compassionate person I’ve ever met. I am very grateful for her to act so quickly and know exactly what to do to fix the problem.”

“Wanda was over the top caring and informative. When we were down and upset, her kind words were a real blessing to us. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this awesome nurse.”

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick 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 their patients and patient families.

Wanda has been employed by Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) since 2016. In 2022, she obtained her associate degree in nursing, becoming an RN, through our Mon Scholars Program. She has always wanted to be a nurse and enjoys making others feel better.

“Making a positive impact on someone’s life by helping them in a time of need and being an advocate for my patient is what being a nurse is to me,” said Wanda. “It has been such an honor to have been selected for this award. I hope to inspire others to go the extra mile to make a difference.”

In her free time, Wanda enjoys camping with her family, reading, and gardening. Her favorite thing to do is spend time with her granddaughter.

“Wanda is an amazing nurse and the epitome of what a nurse should be. She is kind, caring, and compassionate but also has incredible assessment skills, decision-making ability, and promptly reacts to any life-threatening condition. Our community is so blessed to have nurses like Wanda who are willing to connect on a personal level and really invest themselves in the health of our patients,” said Jennifer Nestor, Chief Nursing Officer at Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital. “She comes to work each day with a smile on her face and shares that with each person she interacts with. Clearly, it made an impact on her patients and from their testimonies, you can see how much they love and respect her as a nurse!”

Nurses can be nominated by anyone who has been affected by their care – patients, family members, other nurses, physicians, other clinicians, and staff – anyone who has experienced or observed extraordinary, compassionate care being provided by a nurse. Say thank you to a nurse and nominate them for the DAISY Award by visiting MonHealth.com/Preston-Memorial/Thank-A-Nurse. To learn more about the DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses, visit DAISYFoundation.org.