Jenny Walker, RN. (photo by Donn Jones)
Jenny Walker, RN, BSN, works in the Vanderbilt Breast Center at Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks. She is one of the latest Vanderbilt Health DAISY Award winners.
From the nomination
“Jenny has been my nurse since I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer in bones in January 2024. There are so many stories I could tell about nurse Jenny’s compassionate care and amazing skill. She has been with me through very difficult changes in my treatment, supporting the doctor as she tried to find a chemotherapy that would help stop the cancer from growing and supporting me with all of the side effects that chemotherapy can bring. There has been so much paperwork that needed to be completed on this cancer journey, and nurse Jenny has used her expertise to help me with understanding and submitting it.
“She is not only an expert with the paperwork side of cancer; she is the most compassionate nurse I’ve ever had, and I’ve had so many. She listened to me as I shared how I was feeling before and after my treatments, she cared about my family and how cancer was impacting them and she made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this difficult journey.
“I want to nominate Nurse Jenny for the DAISY Award because she is an incredible nurse who loves and cares for people and goes out of her way to help them in any way she can. I hope Nurse Jenny wins this award because she is so special to me and has helped me more than words can adequately express.”
About DAISY Awards
The DAISY Award is a recognition for extraordinary nurses who exemplify compassion toward patients and families.
Vanderbilt Health distributes the award in partnership with The DAISY Foundation, which was formed in 1999 to honor the memory of J. Patrick Barnes, a 33-year-old man who died of complications of the autoimmune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). Barnes’ family was moved by the care they received from his nurses and wanted to recognize them to preserve his memory. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.
Vanderbilt Health nurse committees determine the individual recipients. Previous recipients of the DAISY Award are here. The award is open to all licensed nurses, and anyone can nominate — including co-workers, patients and their families.
