Matching tattoos and matching hearts for others: Meet Pam and Daja

By Emma Avila, epackard1@iuhealth.org, writer for IU Health’s Indianapolis Suburban Region

Mother-daughter duo Pam Scott and Daja Flowers work at IU Health West. Despite busy schedules, the two find ways to remain close.

For Pam Scott and her daughter, Daja Flowers, their bond goes beyond their home lives. Both women also spend time together while they work at IU Health West.

Scott is a registered nurse at the hospital as well as a Hospital at Home coordinator for IU Health. When she is working in her nursing role, she takes care of patients in IU Health West’s Medical-Surgical unit.

“I was a very young age when my family had a bad experience with nursing, and I wanted to change that for others,” Scott explained.

Flowers is a patient care technician and unit secretary in the Emergency department. Watching her mother work in health care inspired her career choice.

“In high school, I had a jobs and career class. My mom was working the night shift and I shadowed her. That began the spark of what I wanted to do,” Flowers said.

“To me, it’s all about the person’s heart, and I knew her heart was there,” Scott added. “I never tried to steer my kids to healthcare unless that was where their heart was.”

Scott works at IU Health West every two weeks. When she and her daughter work on the same days, Scott brings Flowers coffee. They also spend time together outside of work.

“She comes to my house all the time,” Scott said. “She always comes back to momma.”

The two women watch television, go out to the movies and eat together. They even recently got matching tattoos for Flowers’s birthday.

“My first tattoo was of my dad, so I wanted my next one to be with her,” Flowers explained.

Scott attributes her close relationship with her daughter to their open and honest conversations.

“I think we have open communication,” she said. “Sometimes mothers don’t want to share as much. We’ve grown to be more open as she got older.”

“I wouldn’t take every conversation as a lecture, but as a learning session,” Flowers added.

Scott values her time with her children dearly. For her, it’s about finding ways to stay close, even if that means navigating busy schedules.

“Make time for each other, whether it’s five or 10 minutes. A quick call or a quick text can make a difference,” she said. “We make it work. We really do. We just make it work.”