DAISY Lifetime Achievement Awarded to Thelma Batiste

​Congratulation to Thelma Batiste, RN, CRRN of Lake Charles Memorial Health System Inpatient Rehab who has been awarded the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award.

From the nominator:

Thelma Batiste, RN, CRRN, is an accomplished nurse with over 36 years of experience dedicated to improving the lives of patients and families. Thelma began her journey in the Nursery, providing care to newborns before expanding her expertise to the OB department and postpartum care, where she spent seven years. Her career continued to evolve as she devoted 18 years to Home Health, excelling in Pediatric Care, Extended Pediatric Care, Hospice, and general Home Health services. Thelma has served in various other roles at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, including the urgent care clinic and the medical-surgical unit. In recent years, she has found her true calling in the Rehabilitation Department, helping patients regain independence and thrive. Her dedication and commitment were recently recognized with the achievement of her CRRN certification, marking another milestone in her exceptional career.

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 Thelma's award, click here >>>