Hilda Buckley Recognized with Hot Springs DAISY Award

Hilda Buckley, RN, was recognized with a Hot Springs DAISY Award for the compassion she showed a new mother.

Hilda was nominated by the patient, who had an exceptional stressful birthing experience because of COVID-19.

“Being pregnant and having a baby during the pandemic has been stressful and has come with a  lot of sadness and anxiety. We missed out on a lot of special moments we would normally be granted because of restrictions and safety precautions. The day after welcoming our daughter into the world, my husband (the only support person I was allowed with me) wasn’t feeling well and had a high fever. Due to the possibility of it being COVID-19-related, he had to leave me at the hospital alone with our daughter a day after a C-section and report to the ER.”

The patient said she was going through every emotion when Hilda walked in to her room.

“I cried and expressed all my fears and sadness to her. She was amazing. She held me. She prayed with me. She assured me. That night was really rough for my baby. She cried most of the night and had a lot of trouble feeding. The nurse spent hours with me and my little girl. She got to know me, checked on my husband constantly (who luckily was negative for COVID-19), she held and fed my baby to give me a break, walked with me down the hallways, let me get to know her and prayed for me and my family some more.”

The patient praised Hilda for the comfort and compassion she provided during a difficult time.

“When I say this woman was a light in a lot of darkness for me that is no exaggeration and an example of what a nurse should strive to be for his or her patients. I believe she is more than deserving of the DAISY award. She’s already the best in my book.”

The DAISY Award was established by the DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes who died at 33 of ITP, an auto-immune disease. The Barnes Family was awestruck by the clinical skills, caring and compassion of the nurses who cared for Patrick, so they created the national award to thank nurses everywhere.