Pictures: Meet the Salute to Nurses 2014 Honorees

Every year, we honor one of the nation’s most important professions in our annual “Salute to Nurses’’ special. This year, hundreds of nomination letters were submitted to publicly honor the region’s caretakers who tend to patients in their most vulnerable moments. These are the professionals who went the extra mile, not just helping to save lives, but to touch the lives of their patients as well.Take a look at just a handful of this year’s honorees.

Karen Green

“Karen Green is an exceptional NICU nurse, who gave exquisite care to countless sick babies and their families for over 30 years. At her recent retirement party, nurses Karen had coached and precepted who are now expert NICU nurses reflected how much she had inspired their love of nursing. However, the last guest to speak, a former NICU mom, shared that Karen’s care of her sick twins had such impact on her that she went back to school and became a NICU nurse. What a legacy! “—Nominated by Marianne CummingsSee all honorees from Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Lisa Kromer

“Before going beyond the call of duty, you first have to answer it. Lisa spent the last three years at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany as a civilian nurse caring for injured servicemen. She did so because they deserve the best nurses, and our military needed civilian help. She was working the night that people injured in Benghazi arrived. Another time, she diagnosed in a patient a stroke the doctors had missed. Please honor her and the sacrifices she made. In doing so, we can recognize all of the civilian nurses at Landstuhl who are helping our injured servicemen come home alive.’’—Nominated by Mark CormerSee all honorees from Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Liz Mobassaleh

“Liz was my daughter Elizabeth’s oncology nurse until Elizabeth passed away last month. Elizabeth couldn’t wait to go to clinic every week to see Liz. She was always greeted with a big smile and a hug from Liz. When Elizabeth was too sick to go to clinic, Liz would make a house call to check her. If Elizabeth was getting anxious about yet another MRI, a quick call to Liz would put a smile on her face. Liz was with Elizabeth and our family at our home when Elizabeth died of brain cancer on Feb. 12.’’—Nominated by Kathy SchickelSee all honorees from Tufts Medical Center Floating Hospital for Children

Mary Napoli

Mary should receive a salute because she is a star. Mary gives first class medical care while educating and supporting her direct care and companion/homemaker staff on a daily basis. Possessed of a wonderful disposition, Mary exemplifies what the definition of a nurse should be. On her office wall she has heartwarming phrases such as “A nurse will always give us hope, an angel with a stethoscope,’’ (by Carrie Latet) and “Nurses can take the pressure.’’ —Nominated by Kathleen FergusonSee all honorees from the Greater Medford VNA

Jesunia Nunes

“Jesunia is kind, caring, and loves what she does. As transportation supervisor, I talk to many of her patients who say they love her and tell me what an amazing nurse she is. No words are enough to describe how great she is. She even saved a patient’s life; I was there to witness it. For me and for lots of people, Jesunia is the best nurse around.’’—Nominated by Anildo MonteiroSee all honorees from Brockton Adult Day Health Center

6 North and 6 West Nurses

“The nursing staff on 6 North and 6 West took wonderful care of my eight-year-old daughter, Gabrielle, during her five-month stay while being treated for melanoma with a bone marrow transplant. Day and night, the nurses provided comfort during all of the treatments and procedures. 6N and 6W made sure her birthday and all holidays were still special. The night nurses would play games with her at 4 a.m. when she could not sleep. Thank you to all the nurses for their support and excellent care.’’—Nominated by Alysha Morgan See all honorees from Boston Children’s Hospital

Karen Horn

“Never has a person so expertly balanced an outgoing, easy personality with professionalism like Karen Horn. Our infant son was in the midst of his two-month stay at Children’s Hospital when he stopped breathing and had to have an emergency intubation. Karen was suddenly everywhere—working with the doctors to intubate him, explaining things to us terrified parents, managing everyone’s phones/pagers, and also keeping us and our baby as comfortable as possible. Karen saved his life and our sanity.’’ —Nominated by Kerri VautourSee all honorees from Boston Children’s Hospital

Karen Maggio

“Words cannot express how thankful we are for the care that was given to our son, Connor, by the staff at BCH, especially Karen Maggio, a nurse on 7South. She went above the call of duty each time Connor was admitted to the hospital, during his initial visits and during his eventual lung transplant. He never complained as long as Karen was working. Even when she wasn’t, she would call or visit. Her sense of humor and understanding of the needs of a critically ill 15 year-old boy were unmatched. She helped us all get through!’’—Nominated by Jennifer FlanaganSee all honorees from Boston Children’s Hospital

Liz Ashe

“Miss Liz has played an amazing role in our son’s inpatient care. Not only is she an amazing nurse, but also she has gained my son’s trust and is an amazing friend to him. She has made his fifth birthday a day to remember, held his hand through countless IV sticks, wiped away tears, played tons of Candy Land, sung silly songs, stayed past her shift to help him through a difficult time, and provided endless hugs. We are so blessed to have her on his team.’’— Nominated by Jennifer Burbank See all honorees from Tufts Medical Center Floating Hospital for Children

Maureen Chandler

“My mom, Maureen Chandler, has been a nurse for 37 years and continuously puts her patients and staff first, all while being an amazing mother and wife. As is our tradition, I visit her with leftovers when she is on duty on Thanksgiving night. She works on many holidays throughout the year and I try to join her.’’ —Nominated by Christopher ChandlerSee all honorees from Kindred Hospital Boston, North Shore

Sharon Donaghue

“Sharon Donaghue exemplifies the dictum that “caring is the essence of nursing.’’ Currently, Sharon is VP of operations at HealthBridge Management (HBM), a provider of skilled nursing care. She is a champion of quality care, customer service, and ethics, setting the example for her profession. She believes in giving back and led HBM to hold a fundraiser for Boston Marathon bombing victims that resulted in the single largest contribution to The One Fund.’’—Nominated by Maureen Powers and Patty Pruden See all honorees from HealthBridge Management

Kathy Savage

“Last winter Kathy went to South Korea where she was part of the volunteer medical staff for the Special Olympics World Winter Games. She unselfishly used three weeks of vacation time to accompany the athletes from Team USA to compete in the games. Her responsibilities were to provide medical care and support for the athletes and coaches at the event. Then, upon her return, she helped to staff a shelter to care for folks in a big blizzard.’’—Nominated by Richard SavageSee all honorees for Elder Service Plan of the North Shore

Marcy Black and the other infusion nurses

“When my husband Gerry was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer, our spirits were down… until we met the infusion nurses at CCOM! Gerry is a hugger and loves giving hugs to show his appreciation and love, especially to women as kind and caring as these nurses. But what Marcy and the other nurses didn’t expect was the affectionate pat on the tush he also gave! Unlike most women, they were not offended and got a kick out of it and shared a big laugh with him. In fact, they actually looked for him every week and would stop whatever they were doing just to give him a big hug, because they, too, know that laughter is the best medicine. Thank you, Marcy, Kim, Angel, and all the rest in his special Half-Ger Club for putting laughter back into his life. Little things DO mean a lot.’’—Nominated by Maureen and Gerry HodgeSee all honorees from Cancer Care of Maine

Pam Levy

“Pam Levy is a wonderful, kind, caring, thoughtful, do-anything-for-you-anytime-no matter-what kind of nurse. We have Pam every time we are admitted, because she’s very smart and fun and knows a lot about kids like mine, fragile kids with medically complex issues. The most complicated kids go to her, and she is very proud to admit that. She always goes above and beyond the call of duty; if you haven’t eaten she will make sure you do, even if it comes from her own lunch. We love her.’’—Nominated by Tammy TanseySee all honorees from Tufts Medical Center Floating Hospital for Children

Pam Lane

“Even when the nursing home is short on staff, Pam Lane dedicates herself to the individual needs of all her patients. She is attentive to both the patients and the nursing aides. Completely reliable, she is always there whenever anyone needs her. When I have suffered minor setbacks with my health, she is the one who communicates with the doctor to make sure I get the medical attention I need. While doing all these duties, she also takes the time to make sure that my breakfast is warm. She knows I can’t stand cold scrambled eggs!’’—Nominated by Jim O’BrienSee all honorees from St. Ann Rehabilitation and Nursing Center