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Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Greenville congratulates Jean Brown, APRN, CNS, on receiving the second annual DAISY Award presented at the hospital.

Jean began working at the Greenville Shriners Hospital twenty-nine years ago as the Myelodysplasia Coordinator. Jean says, “The hospital has provided me the opportunity to develop expertise in the care of children with spina bifida, including bowel and bladder management. I have had the opportunity to know, care for, and love hundreds of children and their families and to work alongside amazing health care providers. I’ve been able to go home most nights exhausted, but with a wonderful sense of peace knowing that I had done good things for deserving people—a rare reward in the workplace of today. I am a very fortunate person.”

Jean was nominated for the DAISY Award by several co-workers one of who said, “Jean Brown is a great example for any nurse. She is a role model and advocate for quality patient care.” Another nomination read, “Jean is the ‘go to’ person when you want an answer or need something done. She would go to great lengths and turn over every stone to find the assistance that a family needed for care.”

The DAISY Award was established by the Barnes family following the death of their son. According to their web site, the family “vividly recalled the skillful and compassionate care [our son] received from his nurses during his eight-week hospitalization. We wanted to say “thank you” to nurses everywhere by establishing a recognition program – The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses – to honor the super-human work nurses do for patients and families every day.” Along with a certificate of recognition, Jean received a unique, hand-carved serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, entitled “A Healer’s Touch.”

A surprised and humbled Jean Brown says, “The children and families are the #1 reason all of us work here at the Greenville Shriners Hospital. They are the center of my concern and my satisfaction. But second to that are the people with whom I work. The physicians here allow us to enjoy a ‘level playing field’ where all of our input is respected. That makes working here more important, because everyone has a role—and we give better care because of that.”

Recognized as an expert on the care of children with spina bifida, Jean has been able to speak, publish, and consult on a national level as well as participate in activities such as Nursing and Allied Health Care Providers Council for SBA [Spina Bifida Association], National SB Professional Advisory, SBA Board of Directors and CDC [Centers for Disease Control] projects and research.

http://www.greenvilleshrinershospital.org/?p=1798

Today, some of the best Shrine clowns in the country came to visit patients at the Greenville Shriners Hospital. Members of the Yaarab Red Devil Clowns enjoyed lunch at the hospital, took a tour, and met with some of our wonderful patients. Thank you for visiting … and we hope you come back soon!

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With two impossibly deep dimples framing an impish grin that reveals two missing front teeth, six-year-old  Ke’Aisa Moore looks every bit the princess she aspires to be one day. The diminutive young lady who adores all things pink is presently passing the time before her follow up appointment at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Greenville by challenging her mother Angela to a one-sided game of find-me-if-you-can.  Ke’Aisa delights in playing just out of her mother’s line of vision as if to assert a princess’s right to independence. Her mother, wise to Ke’Aisa antics, just keeps a low key watch on the area where her daughter disappears and will just as surely reappear once she tires of her game.

That budding independence—and confidence—will serve Ke’Aisa well.  In addition to being a princess in her own kingdom, Ke’Aisa is also a person of short stature.  Angela is as well. Ke’Aisa tops the height chart at 37 inches; Angela is a few inches taller. Their similarities end there, however, and Angela has brought Ke’Aisa to Shriners Hospital for Children — Greenville because she has been diagnosed with kyphosis, or what is commonly described as a “hunchback” appearance. 

Ke’Aisa’s vertebrae are not shaped correctly, resulting in a kyphotic curve that, unless treated will eventually result in a “hunchback” appearance. She began wearing a body brace two years ago for 24 hours a day. A year later, the kyphosis was corrected though Ke’Aisa continues to wear the brace as much as possible to prevent regression. Today, Angela’s report from Ke’Aisa’s physician Peter Stasikeles, M.D., is all good news. Ke’Aisa will need to be monitored closely and return to the hospital periodically for evaluation, but her spine is no longer curving and she will soon be out of a brace completely.

“I’m thankful for that,” notes Angela, watching as Ke’Aisa once again wanders out of sight just past a large plant. “I can’t thank Dr. Pete and Shriners Hospital enough for the care Ke’Aisa received here. It changed her life.”

No one can promise what the future will hold but this little princess is well on her way to living happily ever after.

“We truly appreciate everything Shriners Hospitals for Children do. They did so much to improve the quality of my granddaughter Victoria’s life that we, as a family, wanted to give something back to help other children and their families. That is the reason we have an annual ‘Runway Angels’ Fashion Show to raise money for the Shriners,” said Cheryl Evonosky, grandmother of Shriners Hospitals for Children — Greenville patient, Victoria. For the third year, Mrs. Evonosky and her daughter, Cheryl (Victoria’s mother) are proud to present a check, this time for $4,000, to Pete Stasikelis, M.D., Victoria’s surgeon. “We respect and love Dr. Pete. You are blessed to have him at your hospital,” Mrs. Evonosky stated. She goes on to say “We give him a current picture of Victoria every year. He said each morning he looks at that photo and is inspired to continue his work to improve the quality of other children’s lives. We tell this story every year at our event, and I still cannot retell it without crying. Victoria hates to see me cry, but I have to keep telling her, “These are happy tears”. To date, Runway Angels has raised $18,000 for the Greenville Shriners Hospital.

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A huge thank you to the Gastonia Assembly #19 International Order of the Rainbow for Girls for bringing brand new teddy bears to be given out to our patients.

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