Lucas Caruana Honored With DAISY Award

Lucas Caruana couldn’t bear the thought of the man in the ICU bed spending his final hours without a familiar face.

“Tell me about this man you have loved for 50 years.”

Those words, spoken by the ICU nurse to a grieving wife, would earn Caruana a DAISY Award and exemplify the kind of care that defines Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center’s intensive care unit.

For several days, Caruana would pick up shifts on his days off to be at the bedside of the Oregon Coast resident. His presence became a constant source of comfort for the family during their darkest hours.

“We had a lot of friends and family that came from surrounding areas,” wrote Jenny Wertz in her nomination. “My husband was in the ICU for seven days. No one was turned away, and everyone commented on how well we were treated. All the staff that was a part of this event need to hear high praise, but one stood out! Lucas was one of our nurses in the ICU. It seemed he was always there.”

“As my husband was dying, he brought us small wooden boxes with a copy of Dave’s heartbeat, something we will always treasure,” Wertz wrote. “All the staff did great; they were compassionate and helpful with warm blankets and hugs and answered questions. I can say we had the best care ever.”

For Caruana, this level of compassion was personal. His path to nursing began in hospital hallways much like these, where he spent countless hours while his brother Andrew received treatment for cerebral palsy.

Despite being a highly decorated cross country and track athlete at Astoria High School, Caruana found his calling in nursing. “I resisted that for a little bit,” he admitted. “I was leaning toward physical therapy because I was a track guy.”

After briefly participating in track at Western Oregon University, Caruana devoted his time to nursing, completing practicums in both the state prison and then at the hospital’s Progressive Care Unit. His journey to the ICU wasn’t without hesitation.

“I don’t know if I have as much of a natural aptitude with the clinical stuff, and this award doesn’t reaffirm the clinical skills, but I enjoy people,” Caruana said. “I was hesitant coming to the ICU, worried about not being able to talk with patients as much. But my first rotation here, I was thrown into the fire with a lot of sick people early on, and I just took a liking to it.”

“Lucas is an outstanding nurse who holds himself to the highest standards and demonstrates integrity and excellence in his practice,” said Char Gutt, ICU manager. “His co-workers appreciate his fun sense of humor, and his patients adore his down-to-earth and empathetic approach.”

The DAISY Foundation, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes who died at 33 from complications of an autoimmune disease, recognizes nurses who make a profound difference in the lives of their patients and families.

“I was grateful it happened on my shift, because I had been there every day with the family,” Caruana said. “I felt like if it was going to happen, it was better if it happened with a familiar face.”

Caption: The DAISY committee and GSRMC managers honored Lucas Caruana with a surprise announcement.