Memorial Announces Monica Engel, RN as August 2024 Daisy Winner

Congratulations to Monica Engel, RN, in Lake Charles Memorial Hospital's Pediatrics Unit. She was nominated by the mother of a patient for her kind, thoughtful and passionate care.

From the Nominator:

Monica has been such a phenomenal and doting nurse. She's very open and communicative with us and the doctors about my daughter's progress and care. She stays on top of every little detail, and I never have to ask for anything. She helped us get a special diaper cream, which was extremely helpful. You can clearly see that she has a passion for helping others and is very kind. She remembered that we love Disney and bonded with us over Disney trips. She even remembered how much I love ice and brought some in first thing in the morning when she came back the next day! She has helped make this stressful stay so much better.

About DAISY:

In late 1999, at the age of 33, Patrick Barnes awoke with some blood blisters in his mouth. Having survived Hodgkin's Disease twice, he was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with the auto-immune disease, ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura).

Said his father, Mark Barnes, "We are so blessed that we were able to spend the eight weeks of his hospitalization with him and his family. During those weeks, we experienced the best of Nursing. We were there to see the clinical skill that dealt with his very complex medical situation, the fast thinking of nurses who saved his life more than once, and that nursing excellence that took years to hone to the best of the profession. But frankly, as a patient family, we rather expected that Pat would have great clinical care. That was why he was in the hospital. What we did not expect was the way his nurses delivered that care - the kindness and compassion they gave Pat and all of us in his family every day. We were awed by the way the nurses touched him and spoke with him, even when he was on a ventilator and totally sedated. The way they informed and educated us eased our minds. They truly helped us through the darkest hours of our lives, with soft voices of hope and strong loving hugs that to this day, we still feel."

Just days after he died, the family began talking about what they would do to help fill the giant hole in their hearts that Pat’s passing had left. His wife came up with the acronym, DAISY, standing for diseases attacking the immune system. As they discussed what to do in Patrick’s memory, first and foremost, they wanted to say Thank You for the gifts nurses give their patients and families every day. That is when the family created The DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses.

For more information regarding Monica's nomination, click here.