A nurse from Kalona has been named one of 100 Great Iowa Nurses.

The award recognizes nurses who’ve made meaningful, lasting contributions to their patients, colleagues, and the nursing profession, and are viewed as mentors to other nursing professionals. Jesse Stelle Swab moved to Kalona in 2018 when she started working at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics as a critical care nurse. She says was surprised and humbled by the honor which comes at a time when she and her fellow nurses were physically and emotionally challenged by the pandemic.

Stelle Swab says it was difficult losing so many patients to COVID-19, but there were also rewarding moments, “Patients we didn’t think would recover, recovering and that’s honestly what keeps all of us going is seeing those cases where people recover and go home to their families even if they have a lot of rehab ahead of them.”

Stelle Swab says she was amazed by the resiliency displayed by herself and fellow nurses during the pandemic and the mood has greatly improved as more people become vaccinated. She says they see a light at the end of the tunnel. Due to COVID-19, the 17th annual 100 Great Iowa Nurses Celebration will be held virtually on Sunday, May 2.

*You can hear more from Stelle Swab on today’s “In Touch with Southeast Iowa” with Mark Pitz during the KCII News Magazine at 7 a.m., noon and 5 p.m.