Joan Delk, RN

When Joan Delk, RN, a nurse at Moses Cone Regional Cancer Center, in Greensboro, NC, learned that an acute leukemia patient from Sudan had no family in the US and had to wait hours for a ride after treatment, she opened her home to the woman and cared for her. The woman needed a bone marrow transplant, and Delk knew that a blood relative would be the likeliest match. The RN contacted her US Senator to speed up the approval process for the patient’s brother to visit for testing. Once here, the brother was confirmed as a match. Delk made room for him for him in her home and even took the two on outings. When the woman died, Delk helped to plan her memorial and arranged for her body to be returned to Sudan.