Beaufort Memorial Hospital breast nurse navigator Amy Hane knew she was walking a fine line when she stepped up to help the children of a 43-year-old single mother who died of breast cancer last November.
“In nursing school, they teach you about professional boundaries,” said Hane, a registered nurse with more than 11 years experience. “But I had spoken with the mother and I knew they were destitute. I would want people to help my children if I had been in her shoes.”
In her off hours and with her own money, Hane quietly began offering the children assistance. She filled up their refrigerator with food, bought them clothing for school and found them community resources to help with a wide range of needs from grief counseling to legal representation.
“Their mother passed away right before the holidays,” said Jackie Brown, managing clinical director of Beaufort Memorial’s Women’s Imaging Center. “It was a very difficult time and Amy wanted to make sure they had a Christmas.”
Realizing they would need more than she could provide, Hane reached out to the community for help. The response was so great, a website was created for donations and delivery of home-cooked meals twice a week.
In recognition of her kindness and generosity, Hane was honored last week with the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses, a national tribute reserved for RNs who go the extra mile to care for patients and their families.
“Amy has such compassion for her patients,” said Daniel Mock, senior director of imaging services at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. “It’s a very difficult job, but she gets joy out of what she does.”
When co-worker Matthew Hurtt found out how much Hane had done for the family, he nominated her for the prestigious award.
“She has truly embraced the ideals of nursing and the core values of the hospital,” said Hurtt, Beaufort Memorial’s advanced imaging supervisor. “I was touched by the caring she showed to these children and her efforts to help them.”
