Denise Morrison Is Methodist Women’s Hospital DAISY Award Recipient

At 38 weeks pregnant, Krysta Winkelmann wasn’t even considering bad news when she stopped feeling the “very active” baby inside her.

But on July 17, 2022, a trip to the Methodist Women’s Hospital Emergency Department to confirm everything was OK confirmed just the opposite. Krysta and her husband, Brandon, had lost the baby.

But in a moment’s notice, the couple was greeted with comfort from Denise Morrison, BSN, RN – a Women’s Hospital labor and delivery nurse.

“I remember that first encounter,” Krysta said. “It felt like she was there to be my friend – not just my nurse. She sat with me, put her hand on me and said, ‘I’m going to be here for you through all of this.’”

With courage and grace beginning to grow within her, Krysta prepared herself to give birth to a son she wouldn’t be taking home. And despite the circumstances, “everything was perfect,” she said.

Baby Nolan was born July 18.

And he was loved on for hours by Mom, Dad and Morrison, who wasn’t scheduled to work that day but scrubbed in to help deliver, hold and bathe the lifeless newborn while supporting Krysta as well as her husband, Brandon.

“I think in these situations, dads can often be put on the backburner,” Krysta said. “But Denise was always checking on him, seeing if he needed anything, offering him advice on how to process this and help me at the same time.”

Morrison, who’s been with Methodist for 24 years, was recently honored with The DAISY Award – a national recognition given to extraordinary nurses.

“This is selflessness to which I have never experienced,” Krysta wrote in her nomination letter.

“My passion for doing this comes from a personal experience of my own, during which I was not offered the things we can provide our families now,” Morrison said. “These families are having the worst day of their lives, but I’m humbled to be able to help make as many positive memories as possible for them.”

Read the full story in the Methodist Newsroom.