Highpoint Health - Sumner Honors Kyla Donley, RN, with DAISY Award for Extraordinary Compassion
October 06, 2026
Women’s Services nurse, Kyla Donley, RN, recognized for providing comfort, reassurance and compassionate care to a first-time mother during an unexpected delivery
GALLATIN, Tenn. – For one first-time mother, the anticipation of welcoming her baby came with a great deal of uncertainty.
As she prepared to give birth to her first child at Highpoint Health – Sumner with Ascension Saint Thomas, she was anxious about labor and delivery, unsure of what to expect and especially nervous about the care she would receive throughout the experience.
Then she met Kyla Donley, RN, a nurse in Women’s Services.
That introduction would become one of the most memorable parts of her journey into motherhood.
“From the moment she came in, she was positive, bubbly and genuinely caring,” the new mother shared in her nomination recognizing Donley for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.
Over the next two days, Kyla Donley became a consistent source of comfort and reassurance for the nominator.
When it was time for an epidural, one of the moments the new mom had feared most, Kyla stayed by her side, holding her hands, talking her through the experience and helping her remain calm.
“Her presence made something I had been so afraid of feel manageable,” the nominator wrote. “She was exactly the person I needed beside me.”
The connection extended beyond those individual moments of care. When Donley returned for her next shift, she told the patient that she had thought about her throughout the night. For the nominator, that moment reinforced how genuine Donley’s compassion had been.
During the course of the mother's labor, the doctor determined a Cesarean section would be necessary to deliver baby safely. In that unexpected and fearful moment, the new mother said she hoped Donley, the nurse she'd come to know and trust, would be there by her side. In that moment, she immediately wanted to know whether the nurse she had come to trust would still be there.
“I remember crying and asking Kyla if she was going to be in the operating room with me,” the patient recalled. “She told me she would be.”
Donley remained by her side, providing comfort and reassurance through an experience that had suddenly become frightening and uncertain.
A Nurse Who Made a Lasting Impression
The new mother described Kyla’s impact as something she would carry with her long after leaving the hospital.
“Kyla was more than a nurse to me during those two days,” she wrote. “She was a light during an incredibly overwhelming experience. She gave me comfort when I needed it most, advocated for me through a difficult and unexpected delivery, and made me feel cared for as a person, not just as a patient.”
“I am so grateful that Kyla was the nurse who happened to be there,” she continued. “She made a lasting impact on me and my first experience as a mother.”
The story of Kyla’s compassion and the lasting impact she made on the patient deeply moved the team at Highpoint Health - Sumner and led to her selection as a DAISY Award recipient.
For Donley, the recognition was especially meaningful. During nursing school, she remembers hearing about DAISY Award recipients and looking up to the nurses who received the honor.
“I think going through all of nursing school and experiences, you always hear of DAISY Award winners and you always look up to those nurses,” Donley said. “The fact that I won it, it’s incredible. It’s just overwhelming, but in a good way.”
Donley said she had always wanted to work in Labor and Delivery. Although she began her nursing career on a medical-surgical floor, she later had the opportunity to join the Labor and Delivery team at Highpoint Health – Sumner, where she quickly felt she had found where she was meant to be.
“From the second that I started this job, I knew it was right, like it was meant to be,” Donley said. “Labor and Delivery, it’s the best job in the world, but it’s difficult at times. You never know what to expect or what can happen.”
She also credited her colleagues and leaders for supporting her through the unpredictable nature of the work.
“The people alongside me on this floor, my management, my coworkers, everybody has been so incredible,” Donley said. “I think that makes the process of this job so much better.”
Highpoint Health - Sumner previously recognized DAISY Award recipients quarterly. With a growing number of nominations recognizing extraordinary nursing care, the hospital has expanded the program to recognize a DAISY Award recipient each month.
The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day.
The DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died from complications of the autoimmune disease ITP in 1999. During his hospitalization, Patrick’s family deeply appreciated the care and compassion shown not only to Patrick, but to their family as well. After his passing, they felt compelled to say “thank you” to nurses in a public way.
Highpoint Health with Ascension Saint Thomas has partnered with the DAISY Foundation to recognize excellence in nursing and the phenomenal things nurses do for patients, their families, the facility and the community.