Bianca Salvaggio, R.N., in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, is the DAISY Award recipient. She was nominated for this honor by a parent who wrote:

“Our family lives in Chicago. We traveled to Naples for a vacation to celebrate our son who was turning 18 months. Over the next couple of days, he was sluggish and his behavior was unusual. We knew something wasn’t right so we went to urgent care. They said he had an ear infection, which made some sense because of the flight and being in a pool for the first time. It was Sunday evening at this point; we couldn’t fill his prescription and he was progressively getting worse. We went to the local emergency room where they diagnosed him with constipation. The next day, he started to have horizontal nystagmus – his eyes were rapidly moving from left to right. We went back to the emergency room where they immediately ordered a CT scan and discovered a mass in his cerebellum.”

“They then told us we could either have him medevacked to Miami, Hollywood or All Children’s. We made the decision to go to All Children’s and it was the best decision we could have ever made. We were admitted to the PICU. After the MRI on Tuesday morning, Dr. Rodriquez and team surgically placed a VP shunt in our son’s head. That’s when Bianca came into the picture.”

“We were first-time parents who were confused, in shock and trying to process what was happening with our son. Bianca not only showed care and compassion to him, but to us as parents. We had tons of questions and she never missed a beat. She told us with empathy that this was going to be a struggle but that we would all work together as a family. Bianca built a level of trust with us when we were most vulnerable.”

“Our son was eventually transported from All Children’s to our children’s hospital in Chicago. Without Bianca, this scary path would have been drastically different for our family. She empowered us as parents in a way that I don't think she understood. The two of us were struggling to come to grips with what was happening. She supported us by being the rock in the room and a constant when everything around us was changing. Our son’s brain mass was removed and he was finally recovering. Bianca came to Chicago on vacation and took the time to visit us in the hospital. It showed us that we weren’t just another case on a unit – we were people who she cared about. Things like that helped give us the strength to fight as a family and get our son back to where he is. I cannot express the thanks and love that we feel for Bianca and everything that she did.”

Bianca’s manager added:

“Bianca joined our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in 2016. Since then, she has been a wonderful example of nursing excellence. Bianca is a strong nurse who has a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill. She does an amazing job establishing relationships with all of her patients and their families. She is often recognized for her kind and compassionate spirit. Bianca mentors our new employees and as a preceptor for many years, she helps guide and grow new members. We are proud to see her receive this well-deserved recognition.”

Congratulations, Bianca, and thank you for your commitment to patient- and family-centered care.