Celebrate Caring award winners - meet Stacey Lang

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- In just its second year, the Celebrate Caring campaign by Independence Blue Cross received over 11-hundred nominations, representing many of the dozens of roles nurses play every day.

It's time to meet another of the 5 big winners and 9 honorees - Stacey Lang.

Nursing wasn't Stacey's first profession - She spent 7 years in teaching.

But when younger sister Jamie began studying nursing, something clicked.

"Just hearing her stories and how passionate she was about it kind of inspired me to start thinking about going back to school," recalls Lang.

Now, she works on an oncology surgical floor at Lehigh Valley Health's Muhlenberg campus.

"I like that every day is different and challenging in its own way," she says.

"Nursing is a team sport, and you always help your co-workers out, and you know that they're always there for you," Lang says in appreciation of her colleagues.

But Lang is also there for her patients.

She was nominated for helping a dying patient leave behind messages for his daughter.

Koleen Cavanaugh, vice-president of marketing for Independence Blue Cross says this year's nominations reflect how many nurses go above and beyond -

"They are the unsung heroes of health care," she notes, adding, "It was a really difficult choice. And honestly, probably any of the 1100 people could have been a winner."

And the company did expand its winner's circle this year, with 5 top picks and 9 honorees.

After her switch from teaching, Lang says she's in nursing to stay.

"I go to work every day and I love what i do. And then that makes it all worth it, even the bad days," she told us.