Patricia Domagala, RN

My father's health had been significantly declining over the past several months following a hospitalization. His admission was his second hospitalization within two months. Throughout his stay, the healthcare team provided exceptional patient-centered care. As my father's POA, many decisions were made through collaborative patient-physician shared decision making which was reassuring.

Within two days of admission, our family made the difficult decision to transition him to hospice care to ensure he was as comfortable as possible. During this admission, Patricia cared for my father on several occasions.

Patricia consistently took the time to answer all of my questions and proactively communicated with the hospice team whenever care plans needed updating. For example, one day the hospice nurse discussed changing my father’s medications from sublingual back to IV because he had begun locking his jaw or spitting out medications. They also planned to start Ativan to better control his twitching, which had become increasingly severe. Without any prompting, Patricia immediately followed up with hospice to ensure the necessary orders were obtained.

Every interaction we had with Patricia was professional, compassionate, and sincerely empathetic. Patricia frequently checked in on my family and me throughout her shifts to see if we needed anything, always without being asked.

During my father’s final hour, Patricia immediately came to his bedside when I called her about his agonal breathing. She promptly administered medication to help ease his dyspnea. A few moments later, I believed my father had taken his last breath. I frantically called Patricia again. She calmly assessed the situation while continuing to comfort us.

Even amidst the chaos of the unit, when Patricia was simultaneously being called away to assist another patient, she didn’t miss a beat. She provided another available team member so that no patient care was delayed, while still remaining fully present with our family.

She gave my mother and me the space to hold my father’s hand, say our final goodbyes, and reassure him that we would be okay before he took his final breaths. She allowed us the dignity and privacy to grieve, offered heartfelt condolences, and thoughtfully removed distractions such as paperwork and donation checklists that could have interrupted those precious final moments.

As the rest of our family slowly arrived to say their goodbyes, Patricia continued to periodically check on us, offering tissues, water, and comfort in any way she could.

For all of these reasons, Patricia exemplifies the very pinnacle of nursing care. Her compassion, professionalism, advocacy, and humanity left a lasting impact on our family during a painful experience of our lives. We wholeheartedly believe she is deserving of a DAISY Award.