Capt. Bradford Smith, commanding officer for Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) and Navy Medicine Training and Readiness Command (NMRTC), presented the DAISY award to Lt. j.g. Ashelynne Sakkalaek, May 5, in NMSD’s Labor and Delivery (L&D) ward.

DAISY, which stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, celebrates nurses like Sakkalaek who provide extraordinary compassionate and skillful care each day.

Nurses can be nominated for the quarterly award by anyone at NMCSD. In Sakkalaek’s case, it was Lt. Cmdr. Sheila Sweeney, a fellow nurse and nurse educator, who submitted the nomination and led the presentation in the brightly lit room full of applauding colleagues in crimson scrubs, assorted face masks and coverings.

“Lt j.g. Sakkalaek is an amazing addition to Labor and Delivery, and I am very proud to call her my colleague. She is always positive and motivating to her fellow colleagues and her patients,” said Sweeney.

Sakkalaek’s nomination was inspired by a grateful patient who became a mother at NMCSD in the fall of 2019 with her help.

During the presentation, Sweeney described the patient’s experience while in labor under Sakkalaek’s care, an account of well-timed reassuring words and healing hand squeezes delivered by a skilled nurse the patient described as a “bright spirit” who genuinely cared for her.

“What better place is there for her to work when she can cheer on our military moms as they accomplish one of the hardest athletic feats of their life: pushing out their newborn baby,” said Sweeney.

The award presentation comes a day prior to the kickoff of National Nurses Week, May 6-12. Since 1954, National Nurses Week has honored the service and commitment of nurses throughout the U.S. This year’s observance concludes on May 12, the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, a trailblazer known for her foundational contributions to the nursing profession.

“Without our nurses, there is no way we could deliver the world-class healthcare we do,” said Smith. “Our nurses are really on the front lines and are making sure our patients know that they are safe and cared for. Lieutenant junior grade Sakkalaek has been absolutely outstanding and has been lauded multiple times by patients for just how her personal touch really made a difference.”

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