DAISY Awards Presented at Memorial Hospital: First Half of 2025
- Memorial Hospital
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
On May 8, 2025, Memorial Hospital of Chester held a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses recognition ceremony. The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by the family of Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at 33 from complications of the autoimmune disease ITP. During his hospitalization, the family was very impressed by the clinical care of the nurses who care for Pat. So much so that they created a foundation to thank nurses that have grown to be international. This is their way of saying thank you to nurses for the extraordinary care they provide patients and families every day. DAISY is an acronym standing for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.
Nominees, for the first half of 2025, were presented with a pin and certificate. The nominees were: Tamara Despain, Medical Surgical Unit RN; Grace Knop, Medical Surgical Unit RN; Leah Freytag, Rural Health Clinics LPN; Tisha Coffey, Rural Health Clinics LPN; Kim Fedderke, Medical Surgical Unit RN; and John Havel, Medical Surgical Unit RN.
Memorial Hospital’s DAISY Award Honoree for the first half of 2025 is John Havel. John received a nomination from a patient’s family for providing compassionate and unwavering care to their loved one who was in critical distress, guiding them through pain management techniques and offering emotional support. Despite the severity of the patient’s condition, John remained dedicated, ensuring comfort and dignity in their final hours. His kindness and professionalism made a profound impact during an incredibly difficult time.
During the ceremony, Susan Diddlebock, Chief Nursing Officer at Memorial, expressed her gratitude to staff following the reading of nominations. “Thank you to our nurses and staff for your commitment to healing here at Memorial Hospital. We hope that you will wear your DAISY pins proudly.”
Anyone can nominate a nurse for a DAISY Award. Nominations can be done at any time by paper or electronically at www.mhchester.com/DAISY-nominations.
Nominations:
"I brought my husband to the ER. For the past year he had been battling cancer and both lungs were severely damaged. He was in severe pain and was unable to quiet his painful noises. Nurse John came on duty immediately and started working with him, trying to help him through his pain. Nurse John told him that his anxiety and pain could be controlled if he would try to control his breathing, in through your nose, out through your mouth. It helped him to concentrate on his breathing. After he was evaluated, we were told that his right lung had collapsed. Nurse John never stopped working with him. Staff decided to try a procedure to re-inflate the lung. Family was sent to the chapel to pray and wait. The wait in the chapel seemed to go on forever. Nurse John had prayed with my husband and myself before the procedure and explained to us as much as he could. We discussed my husband having a DNR on file and John and the doctor talked to me and family about the seriousness of his condition. After waiting in the chapel, Nurse John came to the chapel and updated us. The procedure was done but he pulled the chest tube out. He was reevaluated and a second procedure was thought to be of no use. Nurse John did everything he could to help my husband through this horrible pain. Thank you Nurse John, you were GREAT!"
"Tisha was extremely understanding and went above and beyond to help the patient find the help they needed, and get an appointment even on a busy day. She was understanding of how equally important mental and physical health are."
"During my husband’s appointment, I noticed a brochure to 'Thank a nurse' I am jumping on the bandwagon to express praise to one of the nurses, Tish Coffey. Mrs. Coffey went beyond professionalism to help me care for my husband. He had surgery in Paducah, KY, and after going back a week later to remove a catheter, he became very ill; even fainting. Baptist Hospital advised to get a hold of his primary, Dr. Kirkpatrick. I called the doctor’s office at closing time and left a message, knowing I would hear back the next day. However, Mrs. Coffey called back that day. She made recommendations that I let my husband talk me out of. I called the next day and she called back again, and remembered our previous conversation and was so kind and patient with me. This time, I followed her advice and went to the ER, where we received excellent care. I was able to meet her at my husband’s follow up and she was as kind and helpful as she was on the phone. I was glad I was able to meet her and thank her in person. In my opinion, Mrs. Coffey is the reason the DAISY award exists. I highly recommend her for this!"
"When arriving to Convenient Care, it is very stressful as our child does not do well with doctors visits. We informed Grace that our child is minimally verbal. She did an amazing job handling our child. It was such a relief to have someone with the extra patience that child needs. He handled triage way better than any other times going."
"I have scoliosis and lower back pain to a severe degree. Ice works best for me. I visited Leah and Dr. Lowry to see if my insurance would cover an ice streaming machine with attachment for my back. Leah studied and tried her best to get one covered but it was no use. A week or so after, I got a text from Leah stating that she had left something for me on my front porch. It was an ice streaming machine with attachments. It was a gift that I have used every day and it helps me so much. I can’t describe how wonderful a present it was. Leah went above and beyond by her compassion and a special gift. She is a wonderful nurse and I feel that she deserves to be recommended for the DAISY Award."
"My husband was admitted due to a work accident. While being here, two and a half hours from home with nothing but the clothes on our backs, Kim went above and beyond to care for him and I both. She was very good about getting every test ran we wanted, getting all of our questions answered, and making sure we had food, drinks, phone chargers, and so on. She was very respectful and treated us like her own family. A great nurse all around."
"The nurses are very nice here. They are very kind and concerned about my stay here. To think that Tamara and her sister went to school many years ago and now she works here at this hospital. We grew up together 58 years ago and have known each other for all those years."
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