Liv Lowry, RN, Healthcare Provider, Nurse

 

Liv Lowry, RN, "has been a part of Phoenix Children's Hospital for 21 years, and you will note that I did not use the verb 'worked,'" said Natalie Nevin, her manager in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.  "Liv doesn't consider what she does as work. She considers it taking care of each and every patient and family she interacts with. This is her calling; this is what she is meant to do. It is her purpose in this life."

 

Liv's commitment to family-centered care is legendary throughout Phoenix Children's.

 

For example, in 1989, Lowry was among a core group of nurses who, with the critical care chief, instituted the practice of providing beds so family members could sleep next to patients in the critical care unit.  Phoenix Children's was one of the first hospitals in the nation to do so. 

 

There have been times when in an emergency, families of out of town patients must leave home quickly.  Lowry has been known to use her own credit card to ensure they have a place to sleep and something to eat upon arrival. 

 

On a day to day basis, though, Lowry is probably best known for the attention she gives every family and patient as they go through the very worst experience they have ever had - heart surgery.  In addition to providing exceptional nursing care, she extends her compassion to the entire family throughout the whole process -- from greeting the family in the morning, to keeping them posted during surgery, to sitting with the family after surgery, and even coming in to the Hospital on her days off when she knows a family will need her.

 

So it's no wonder that during her tenure at Phoenix Children's, Lowry has become the matriarch of a very large, very attached family. She maintains close relationships with hundreds of her former patients.  To some patients, she's 'Grandma Liv,' and others, a surrogate mother. Not surprisingly, her nomination for Health Care Hero came from a former child heart patient, Jeremy Keck.

 

Keck said, "On many occasions, Liv will remind me that my life is a miracle. I nominated her hoping that she would be recognized as a hero, a hero that has made miracles possible."