Memorial Announces Cortnie O'Shea October 2025 DAISY Award Winner

​​​​Congratulations to Cortnie O'Shea, RN of the ICU Department at Lake Charles Memorial. She was nominated by a patient's family member for her kindness and humanity.

From the nominator:

Cortnie went above and beyond what her already selfless job entails. She is one of the best, most patient, kindest nurses we’ve ever met. Not only did she make sure that my husband was physically cared for, but she also made sure that, as the wife of a very sick man was emotionally cared for. She will never understand how much that meant, and how much she helped to ease my anxieties.

What stood out the most about Cortnie was that she took the time to genuinely connect with us. She learned who we were as people, not just a patient and his wife. That meant more than anyone would ever know. Especially in such a hard time in our lives. Cortnie is what true nursing looks like. She was so deeply human, endlessly kind, and compassionate. We truly believe that she is the perfect example of what the DAISY Award represents.

We are so grateful to have had her as a nurse!

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 Cortnie's nomination, click here >>>