Written By:
Nora Wallace - Marketing and Public Relations Manager 

Lompoc Valley Medical Center Registered Nurse Shelby Menjivar has been recognized with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. 

The prestigious international award is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care provided to patients and families every day.  

A Lompoc native, Shelby is a Registered Nurse in LVMC’s Emergency Department and has worked at the acute hospital for six years. 

Nominated by a patient’s daughter, Shelby was recognized for her empathy and caring for a patient in the end stages of cancer and Parkinson’s disease. When he was taken to the Emergency Department in March, the outlook was not good, according to the Daisy nomination. 

“Shelby not only was able to address the concerns we had for our father, but she took the time to stop and check in with my mother,” the daughter wrote. “Shelby did everything in her power during this visit to comfort our family through this time of stress and heartache.” 

The patient ended up passing several days after the Emergency Department visit, the nomination noted. 

“A nurse who takes time to sit, talk through things and to show that level of empathy is deserving of any award,” the nominator said. 

During the surprise DAISY ceremony on Monday, Shelby said she remembered the patient and the conversation she had with his spouse. She was especially moved by the toll caregiving was having on the patient’s family and wanted to offer them consolation. 

Shelby said she had initially planned to become a chemical engineer, but pivoted her aspirations when she realized she was happy helping and caring for other people. She prefers being stationed in the Emergency Department. 

“I feel I definitely like the faster pace and helping people even when they can’t thank us,” said Shelby, who earned her RN at West Coast University. “I like the small community hospital. Everyone is very friendly. We’re all close-knit. It’s very much a team here. They’re truly the ones I come to work for.” 

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family and honors nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. 

Patrick Barnes died in 1999 at the age of 33 from complications caused by ITP, or Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, an auto-immune disease. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The foundation was inspired by the care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill.  

Nurses are nominated by patients, families and colleagues. Miranda also received a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.  

More information about the award is available at daisyfoundation.org. To nominate a nurse at LVMC, Lompoc Health or the Comprehensive Care Center, see the nomination form at lompocvmc.com, under the Resources tab and Patient Feedback link.