Kathryn Czaplinski / Friday, March 21, 2025

/ Categories: NEWS, 2024

Endoscopy nurse recognized for kindness and support

BENNINGTON, VT—March 21, 2025—Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, honored a nurse from the Endoscopy department this month, recognizing the compassionate care provided to patients.

Felisha Wright, BSN, RN, was presented with the DAISY Award for Exceptional Nurses after receiving nominations from multiple patients who highlighted her kindness and her extra effort to assist them with issues outside of her normal role.

“This nurse put me at ease by answering all my questions. She was delightful to talk with. Thank you for choosing such a great person with a caring heart,” one nominator wrote.

Another nominator noted that Wright helped when the patient was upset about a negative experience with another medical office.

“While waiting for my endo appointment, Felicia saw that I was clearly upset, and kicked into high gear to help me with a problem that had nothing to do with her or the endoscopy department,” the nominator wrote. “Within a short time, she had made headway with the problem, and went out of her way to get some answers for me, and had made me feel like I was a priority and that my situation was important. As it turned out, when it was time for my appointment, Felisha was assigned to be my nurse. Her positive attitude and professionalism were just what I needed to be put at ease in a situation that was scary for me. Felicia went way above the call of duty today, and showed such compassion and care she was an angel to me.”

Wright is also an advocate for community awareness around colorectal cancer and the importance of colonoscopies as a tool for early detection and prevention. Her DAISY recognition happened to fall during March, which is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Wright has spearheaded many outreach events this month and in year’s past, to ensure the public is educated about colorectal cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer death in the country, but also one of the most preventable.

The DAISY Award is an international recognition program honoring clinical excellence and outstanding compassionate care provided by nurses. Nurses are nominated by patients, families or colleagues and SVMC surprises the recipients with the honor. Awards are given out monthly.

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A Very Unusual Road Race

Matthew Vernon, MD, radiation oncologist at the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, and his wife Elisa Donato love running road races. In just the last 2 years, the couple has completed one full marathon, nearly 30 half marathons, and a generous sprinkling of races of other distances. They love to get the finisher medals at the ends of their races and take great pride in their extensive collection of them.

In February, they set out on a trip to run a 20-mile trail race up and down a volcano on an island in shark-filled Lake Nicaragua. And they thought that race would be their most unique of the year.

Matt and Elisa were training for their second full marathon, scheduled for April 26th in New Jersey, when COVID-19 hit.

"Of course the race was canceled," Dr. Vernon remembers. "But we couldn't be marathon-ready and not run." They had toyed with the idea of organizing a race of their own, so this seemed like the time to do it.

That is how the COVID Bridges Marathon/Half Marathon/10K/5K/AnyK was born. (The name is a quippy take on the popular Covered Bridges Half Marathon that happens in Woodstock, VT, each year. And yes, their marathon course also included covered bridges.)

Once the name stuck, they designed and ordered a finisher medal for everyone who signed up.

And as long as they were going to the trouble to start a virtual/distanced road race in the middle of a pandemic, why not raise some money, too? They started a Facebook group and a GoFundMe page, set a goal of $1,000, and designated the Cancer Center as the recipient. They recommended an entry fee of $10 per person, and lots of people signed up, including many colleagues from Southwestern Vermont Health Care.

"We were originally going to pick April 26, the same day as our marathon, but we thought we had a better chance for good weather in May," Dr. Vernon shared. They picked May 9. That day turned out to include heavy snow.

As a virtual race, however, they clarified that the run could occur at the time of the participant’s choosing, over the course of their choosing, of any distance. A few even bicycled in place of running. Many participants brought their kids along.

The event raised $1,045 for the Cancer Center. And people had a good time bonding over running and walking during this unusual time.

"In the end it was a great experience," Dr. Vernon said. "We had a blast, inspired some people to get out of the house, and raised some money for a good cause. And those medals will certainly inspire unique feelings when we see them hanging there among our collection."

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