Altru Labor & Delivery Nurse Receives DAISY Award for Her Great Compassion

Bella Kartch, RN, a Labor & Delivery nurse at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, has been recognized with the DAISY Award for her compassionate, heartfelt care of a family during an incredibly difficult experience.

Kartch was nominated by a patient’s family following their experience at Altru. The patient, who was 19 weeks pregnant, was admitted to Altru after coming to the Emergency Department with concerns she was going into labor. As the night progressed, it became clear that the baby would not survive.

When Kartch began her shift the following morning, she immediately focused on supporting the family through the difficult moments ahead.

“Bella was incredibly kind and sincere, especially given the situation she was walking in on,” the nominator wrote. “She made sure to ask us if we needed anything, sat and talked for a while, and helped keep our minds somewhat distracted.”

After the family learned their baby had passed away, Kartch helped care for them as they delivered their daughter. She provided compassionate support while also creating meaningful keepsakes for the family, including handprints, footprints, photographs, and jewelry featuring their daughter’s initial. One keepsake was especially meaningful: a small stuffed bear.

“Bella made a small stuffed bear that she added weights to so that it was the exact weight of our baby,” the nominator wrote. “That item has meant the most to us.”

“Bella exemplifies the compassion and humanity that make nursing such a meaningful profession,” said Gina Sanders, manager of patient care at Altru. “She recognized that this family needed more than clinical care. They needed someone who would slow down, listen, remember the details and help them create lasting memories of their daughter. Bella’s thoughtful actions demonstrate the profound difference a nurse can make during some of life’s most difficult moments.”

Before the family left Altru, Kartch gave the patient a hug and told her she would think of their family every May 16.

“That proved to me that Bella cared about us as individuals and that we weren't just ‘customers’ helping her earn a paycheck,” the nominator wrote. “Us telling her thank you just doesn't seem like it is quite enough.”

Through her compassionate care and thoughtful gestures, Kartch helped a family feel seen, supported, and cared for during an experience they will never forget.

The DAISY Award celebrates nurses who make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and families through extraordinary clinical care, compassion, and dedication.

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known, but not uncommon, auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.