Sparrow honors nurse with DAISY Award 

LANSING, MI – Kishwar (Soni) Alam, RN, has been recognized with the E.W. Sparrow Hospital DAISY Award for going above and beyond to orchestrate an emotional reunion between a patient and their spouse, who was also hospitalized.

Alam was working an extra shift on the medical intensive care unit when she learned that her patient was being discharged to Sparrow Specialty Hospital, Mid-Michigan’s only long-term acute care facility. However, her patient’s husband and primary caregiver had also fallen ill and his road ahead was uncertain. Alam stayed beyond her shift to ensure the couple was able to see one another during their time of need.

“I do not like to have any feelings of guilt when I leave my work,” said Alam. “I always treat my patients as they are my family, and strongly believe that if you do good things, good things will happen to you.”

In a heartwarming twist of fate, moments before the reunion, the patient’s spouse was successfully taken off a ventilator, a significant milestone in his recovery. This gave the couple the opportunity to visit with each other and their daughter in a moving and emotional reunion.

“To see the joy on their face and the love in the room, it was well known that this was exactly what these patients needed,” said medical intensive care unit Manager Devan Munson, who nominated Alam for the award. “Soni's love, compassion, kindness, and all-around care she provides to her patients made this possible and a moment many of us will never forget.”

The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary, compassionate, and skillful care given by nurses every day.

Alam received a certificate of recognition, a DAISY pin to wear at work, and beautiful serpentine stone sculpture carved by the artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. The special “Healer’s Touch” sculpture, designed for leaders, depicts the relationship nursing managers have with their caregivers and embraces the relationship nurses have with their patients.

To learn more about the DAISY Award, go to Sparrow.org/DAISY.

###

Sparrow is Mid-Michigan’s premier healthcare organization and includes hospitals in Lansing, Carson City, Charlotte, Ionia and St. Johns, as well as Sparrow Specialty Hospital, Sparrow Care Network, Sparrow Medical Group, the Michigan Athletic Club, and AL!VE. Sparrow is part of University of Michigan Health. Through the dedication of our 10,000 caregivers, Sparrow pursues a vision to be nationally recognized as a leader in quality and patient experience. For more information, visit Sparrow.org.