A nurse at Mercy Circle was honored last week for her service and dedication to others.
Mercy Circle, 3659 W. 99th St., held a ceremony on Sept. 10 to honor the award winner as well as two other
nurses nominated for The DAISY Award.
Presented by The DAISY Foundation, The DAISY Award is given to extraordinary nurses who exceed
expectations with their compassionate care for senior-living residents and for hospital patients.
Any licensed, registered nurse, nursing faculty member or nursing student is eligible to be nominated for the award. The foundation partners with healthcare facilities across a wide variety of care providers to recognize nurses, including those in large health systems, clinics, long-term care facilities, surgery centers, critical access/rural hospitals and schools of nursing.
With members of the Mercy Circle Board of Directors, staff and residents in attendance, Jadwiga Zarebczan was presented The DAISY Award. Zarebczan has worked as a nurse for over 15 years and joined Mercy Circle in March 2023.
As a child, she helped care for her grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. That experience inspired Zarebczan to begin a career in nursing.
A resident of Justice, Ill, Zarebczan said a desire to bet here to help others is the foundation of being a nurse. "Just helping people," she said, "being there to take care of people who need help."
Zarebczan earned her bachelor's degree at St. Xavier University. Her co-workers said she provides a personal focus during her time with each resident, and she sees all her responsibilities through to completion, regardless of how much time is required.
Zarebczan said she was ''honored and surprised" to hear of her nomination for The DAISY Award, but she was overwhelmed after being named the winner.
She said she makes a difference as a nurse for residents at Mercy Circle by doing the "little things," especially taking time to listen to people who have a story to tell.“ The residents here are wonderful,” Zarebczan said. "It's a pleasure taking care of them."
The inspiration from her grandmother continues for Zarebczan, and she values her role in serving people who need care.
She also encouraged others to be inspired and pursue a career in nursing.
''Being a nurse is extremely rewarding," Zarebczan said. "The impact nurses can make is visible to us every day."
Also nominated for The DAISY Award were Phillis Denman and Marice Cobb. Denman has worked as a licensed practical nurse for over 20 years, and in April 2024, she became a registered nurse.
Cobb has worked at Mercy Circle since 2015 as a licensed practical nurse. Before joining Mercy Circle, she spent 20 years at UChicago Medicine.
Trinity Health Senior Communities (THSC), which is part of a national Catholic health system, established a relationship with The DAISY Foundation in 2023. Mercy Circle has a management engagement with THSC.
The Daisy Foundation, based in Anacortes, Wash., was established in 1999 in honor of Patrick Barnes, a 33-year-old man who died after battling cancer and an autoimmune disease. Celebrating the nurses who cared for him, DAISY stands for ''Diseases Attacking the Immune System."
For more information, visit daisyfoundation.org.
Jim Lynch l Editor