There are nurses who do the job. And then there are nurses who transform a hospital room into
a place of genuine comfort, warmth, and dignity. Sydney Retter is the latter — and she has
earned the DAISY Award to prove it.

The DAISY Award is one of the most meaningful honors in nursing, given not by administrators
or review committees, but by the patients and families whose lives nurses touch. Carlyle
Barnard, the daughter of an ICU patient, wrote to us about Sydney’s extraordinary care and how
she touched their lives in ways they’ll never forget.

From the moment Sydney entered the room, something shifted. Despite a demanding workload
and a full floor of patients, she was never rushed. She checked in on her mom frequently, asked
thoughtful questions, and made sure her patient truly understood every test, every medication,
every part of the plan — speaking not at them, but with them.

What stands out most is the intention behind her smallest actions. Those little phrases — “sorry,
this will be cold” or “I apologize for the discomfort” — weren’t pleasantries. They were
acknowledgments. As Carlyle put it, “She saw my mom as a person first, a patient second.”

Moments That Meant Everything

Carlyle shared how Sydney microwaved her mom’s ice cream so it would be soft enough to eat.
and then went the extra mile made a milkshake for her. She thanked the staff around her — and the families, too — modeling the kind of quiet gratitude that makes a whole unit better. These are the details that don’t show up in a chart or a protocol. They come from character.

Her smile is real. Her warmth is real. And her competence? Absolutely real. Sydney is the rare
nurse who makes professionalism and compassion look effortless — a combination HCH is
fortunate to have.

She is not just an asset to this hospital. She is a reason patients feel safe here.

The DAISY Award exists because extraordinary nursing often goes unseen. Today, we see
Sydney. We see every warm blanket, every gentle apology, every unhurried moment she gave
to a family that needed it.

Congratulations, Sydney — and thank you. From the bottom of our hearts.