Nurse Whitney DeBoer receives DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses

Whitney DeBoer, a valued nurse at Orange City Area Health System, recently received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Gwen Post, Sanford Health Nursing and Clinical Services Consultant, presented the award to Whitney on November 20, 2024. Whitney has been a registered nurse at Orange City Area Health System since January of 2024 after obtaining her nursing license from Allen’s College in December of 2023.

Whitney was nominated for this award by Sadie Thatcher, the niece of a patient who received care from Whitney at the Orange City hospital. In her nomination, Sadie wrote:

“My name is Sadie Thatcher and my uncle was admitted to the hospital from the ER with pneumonia in Orange City, Iowa. He (my uncle) was also battling pancreatic cancer. I also work in the healthcare field as a CMC/CNA, in a residential long term care and memory care facility. From my experience, I can tell you that I have worked with dozens of nurses over the years; however, I have never met a nurse quite like Whitney. She was the most compassionate, kindest, caring, relaxed, informative, diligent, proactive nurse I have ever met. The attention, care and advocacy she gave my uncle, and his family was most exemplary. She went above and beyond in the care she provided and not once did it go unnoticed. Even down to my wanting to assist with his cares. I had made a promise I would help take care of him when the time came. Little did I know, there wouldn’t be much time. Yet, she never shooed me away or asked me to step out. That meant the world to me. Her time management was most honorable, as she had other patients to attend to. She allowed me to voice my concerns and my input on the next step and when I felt he needed something more. She never hesitated to voice concerns or notify the doctor. And for this, my uncle never suffered. He was allowed to pass away peacefully and pain free. She even worried about all of us, if we were cold, if we were hungry, if we needed a pillow, an ear or a shoulder. She had it, did it or gave it. It is my recommendation, along with all of Randy’s family, that Whitney be outright given this award, or at the very least, be heavily nominated for it. Ms. Whitney deserves it! As she already has wings of an angel.”

Whitney is the fourth nurse at Orange City Area Health System to receive this prestigious award this past year, supporting the health system's Core Values and culture of caring.

“The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by members of the family of Patrick Barnes. He was 33 years old and died of complications of the auto-immune disease ITP. Like many families we see every day who go through this kind of horrific loss, the Barnes family wanted to do something positive to honor the very special man Patrick was. So, as they say, over a very “liquid” dinner right after Pat’s death, they came up with DAISY—an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. As they brainstormed what the DAISY Foundation would actually do, they kept coming back to the one positive thing they held on to during Pat’s 8 week illness: the extraordinary care he and they received from Pat’s nurses. The family was very impressed by the clinical care Pat’s nurses provided, but what really overwhelmed them was the compassion and kindness that his nurses brought to Pat’s bedside day in and day out. The nurses’ sensitivity made a great difference in the Barnes’ experience, and they wanted to say Thank You to nurses for the extraordinary care they provide patients and families every day. Pat’s family created the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. What started out as a thank you from their family to nurses has grown into a meaningful recognition program embraced by healthcare organizations around the world." - The DAISY Foundation