The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by members of the family of Patrick Barnes. He was 33 years old and died of complications of the auto-immune disease ITP. Like many families that go through this kind of horrific loss, the Barnes family wanted to do something positive to honor the very special man Patrick was.
So, right after Pat’s death, they came up with DAISY – an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.
As they brainstormed what The DAISY Foundation would actually do, they kept coming back to the one positive thing they held on to during Pat’s 8-week illness: the extraordinary care he and they received from Pat’s nurses.
The family was very impressed by the clinical care Pat’s nurses provided, but what really overwhelmed them was the compassion and kindness that his nurses brought to Pat’s bedside day in and day out.
Pat’s family created The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses to honor nurses who go above and beyond and make extraordinary differences in patients and families experiences in healthcare.
There are other ways the foundation says thank you to nurses, including honoring nursing faculty who instruct and inspire nursing students.
Nursing faculty has a profound impact on the future practice of their students. Many nurses talk about “hearing an instructor’s voice” in their ears, even years after they have graduated.
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Educators provides international recognition and appreciation to nursing faculty for their commitment and inspirational influence on their students.
We are very proud to partner with DAISY as we have extraordinary nursing faculty here at Northeast Texas Community College.
