June 2013
Stawa
Blanco
,
BSN
Med/Surg
St. Elizabeth Healthcare
Edgewood
,
KY
United States

 

 

 

A Delightful Surprise

Stawa Blanco, BSN, RN was nominated for the DAISY Award because she took the time to stay, talk and comfort a patient and explain Hepatitis C in depth. But most of all she helped this patient understand that they were no less of a person, "she made me feel like I felt before I found out, like a normal person only stronger". As Stawa was being recognized with the DAISY Award pin, certificate, and statue we got our "surprise".

Stawa looked at the back of the statue and saw her son's name, turned to us and said,
"I speak Shona". Wow, what are the chances of this happening in Florence, KY! Stawa was born into the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe, through the work of missionaries came to the U.S. in 1984 and finished high school in Oneida, KY. She went on to college completing a post graduate degree in Human Resources, was married and had a son. She was recruited to return to Zimbabwe to work in the Platinum mines where she briefly worked, however (as she stated) her son missed McDonald's so they returned to the U.S. This time she found her "calling" and went back to college for her RN. Stawa is currently working toward her APRN degree.

Oh, and the name on the statue, MUNYA, which she explained is short for MUNYARADZI which means "comforter" in her native language!