Atlantic, IA – Officials with Cass Health in Atlantic, today (Wednesday) announced Nicole Stanerson, RN, BSN is the newest recipient of The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.® In a press release, Cass Health said Stanerson was nominated by oncology patient Victoria Means for her extraordinary care.
Means wrote, “For my first day of chemo Nicole walked us back to the Tyler Family Cancer Treatment Center. The center is a nice, calming place, but what makes it exceptional are the nurses. Their teamwork in the treatment room is marvelous. My first few days are a bit blurry, but Nicole walked me through what to expect for my first treatment, reasons to call, what’s expected, and what’s not.
I didn’t make it easy for the first few treatments. I had a major reaction to one chemo drug at least three times. Nicole was there for all of them. She started sitting by my side during treatment to be right there in case I reacted again. She was great at communicating with me and also my husband; making sure we both understood our options for the rest of the treatment session. There was seldom a time she did not have an answer for our questions. If she was ever unsure of an answer, she was very quick to confirm it and get back to us.
Eventually, everything got sorted out and I could rock chemo like a champ. Nicole would greet each new family member I brought with a big smile and kindness. She always seemed happy to take an extra few minutes to talk book recommendations or look at pictures of quilts with them. Nicole takes a personal and vested interest in how I am doing outside of treatment. Nicole’s obvious passion for and expertise in her profession paired with her caring demeanor and charisma are the reasons why I feel like she should be awarded the DAISY Award.”
Reflecting on the award and her career, Stanerson said, “I love nursing. Working in oncology/hematology nursing, I love the skills, but it’s really the patient care that I love most. You are caring for patients that sometimes you see even more than your own family, so they become like family to you. We get to know each other, and I always hope that we can get to the point where we can laugh and talk about things beyond their diagnosis and treatment, because treatment doesn’t have to be a horrible experience.”
As a child, Stanerson was inspired to become a nurse because of the television show M.A.S.H. “I watched M.A.S.H. and saw Major Houlihan, and I thought that’s what I want to be. I wanted to be a strong nurse like her and advocate not only for my patients but for nursing,” said Stanerson. She pursued her dream and became a nurse in 2000. She has worked in numerous fields but has spent most of her career in surgery, oncology, and hematology. Since 2023, she has cared for patients in the Tyler Family Cancer Center at Cass Health.
“I love it here — there is so much talent in the Specialty Clinic. These nurses are amazing, and we build off each other. Between our critical thinking skills, communication, and love for what we do, there is never a time I feel truly stressed.”
Nurses at Cass Health are honored twice annually with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.® The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org. An online nomination form is available at https://www.casshealth.org/daisy.
