Sometimes the compassion a nurse shows family members during a time of grief is almost as impactful as the care provided to a patient.

Sarah Siniard, a registered nurse in Atrium Health Floyd's Emergency Care Center, made an impression on a Rome woman whose mother-in-law passed away this past August at Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center.

Siniard's kindness and patience brought some peace as the woman's family gathered in the Emergency Care Center and waited for her to pass.

“Mostly, we had peace because of the courteous and knowledgeable nurse…," the patient's daughter-in-law wrote. “She explained things to us as frequently as needed, and gently added more chairs to her room while discreetly taking away items to make more room for us.

“She gave us coffee, water, tissues and allowed us as much time as we could have with our mother, without being intrusive. When my mother-in-law passed away, Sarah gave us more time and explained the next steps to us. We are forever grateful for her. Sarah deserves whatever recognition this letter can generate, as she exemplified the reasons we trust nurses and have faith in the medical system. She is an asset to the hospital."

The DAISY Award is an international program that recognizes bedside nurses for the exceptional care they provide patients. The family of Patrick Barnes established the award after he died from an auto-immune disease while being treated in a Seattle hospital.

“That's amazing," she said. “The fact that I even got nominated is crazy to me. It was very touching and I am still in shock." Siniard has been a nurse at Floyd for four years.

She is the first nurse in the ECC to be recognized as a DAISY winner. Along with a pin, Siniard was presented with a sculpture entitled “A Healer's Touch." The DAISY sculptures are hand-carved for the DAISY Foundation by members of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

The nurse and her teammates in ECC were also treated with Cinnabons, a DAISY tradition because it was one of the few things Patrick Barnes could eat while he was hospitalized.

“I wish I could give a DAISY to everyone in the department. Everyone is so amazing," said Dr. Sheila Bennett, senior vice president and chief of patient services at Atrium Health Floyd.