Our nurses are our care experts and the backbone of Diaverum. It is they who build direct and long-lasting relationships with our patients, empowering them to live fulfilling lives. For this reason, it is only fitting that our first-ever Diaverum Awards 'Inspiration' winner was Daniela-Nicoleta Toma, Nurse with Diaverum Romania.
"It was an honour to be a participant – and now winner – of the first-ever Diaverum Awards! I share the win with all my colleagues at Morarilor Clinic; it’s a recognition of our team’s efforts and none of the work I do would be possible without them. I also share this win with our patients, because it is they who dare me to dream and fight to give them hope".
"Nurses have a lot of power and responsibility to guide our patients through their chronic kidney disease journey. This is why I try to find inspiration in my daily work and pass that on to them – it’s a hugely important value that can help them see a CKD diagnosis not as the end, but as a challenge to look after themselves and find the true value in the gift of life. Together with our values of Passion and Competence, Inspiration acts as motivation for them to persevere through the peaks and troughs of a challenging disease and to continue fighting for themselves".
"In turn, my patients and colleagues are a source of strength for me to give more back to our community. One of my proudest moments has been contributing to the initiation and implementation of Diaverum Romania’s Prevention Programme, which focuses on promoting health literacy amongst CKD patients. I am also proud of the nurse-focused vlog series I took part in, that is used to train fellow nurses around the country".
"The pandemic was an incredibly difficult time for us. At one point, we were conducting tele-triage for about 120 patients on a daily basis. The sense of fear and helplessness was palpable, and I felt the need to protect my patients and team in any way I could. With PPE availability being a concern, I worked together with a former patient who is a tailor by profession, to collect the materials needed to make masks. The first one I tried to make with our head nurse, didn’t work. So we called upon our former patient’s help and soon started to make masks, gowns, cords and caps, together with other colleagues and patients. Not only did this help in giving us protection, it also united our team, and inspired us to face an unprecedented situation with courage and determination".
"Since the Awards, I have taken on more challenges, including participating in the Prevention Campaign organised at our clinic on World Kidney Day. I also continued participating as a trainer in nursing education sessions within the Diaverum Romania Prevention Programme. Most importantly, I continued my daily work at the clinic, and finding new sources of inspiration in new & unexpected ways".