Memorial Announces Reese Edwards February 2026 DAISY Award Winner

Congratulations to Reese Edwards, BSN, RN, a nurse on 2 Tower at Lake Charles Memorial Health System. She was nominated by a patient's family member for her rapid, expert clinical care and compassion.

From the nominator:

We are submitting this nomination to recognize Reese for the extraordinary compassion, attentiveness, and advocacy she provided to our mother and to our family during her hospitalization. Reese demonstrated what true nursing excellence looks like, and her actions made a profound and lasting impact on us.

During the process of discharge, Reese noticed that our mother seemed short of breath. Instead of assuming everything was fine, she trusted her clinical instincts and immediately ordered an X‑ray. It was discovered that our mother had fluid in her lung that required urgent drainage. Reese’s careful attention and rapid response prevented our mother from being readmitted and quite literally saved her life in that moment. She explained everything clearly, calmed our fears, and remained patient, kind, and reassuring throughout the entire experience. Her vigilance and expertise were a comfort to all of us.

In addition to her clinical skill, Reese saw our mother as a whole person. Our mother had been suffering severe back pain in her hospital bed for weeks. Despite others being unable to secure a bariatric bed, Reese personally took the time to advocate for her and finally obtained one, along with a larger room to improve her comfort and dignity. This act alone significantly lifted our mother’s spirits and eased her suffering. Reese’s compassion was evident in every interaction.

From the patient’s own words: “Reese saved my life. She brought me comfort when no one else could, and she saw what others overlooked. Thank you, Reese.”
Although our mother passed away after leaving the hospital, we will forever remember how Reese treated her with patience, dignity, and genuine kindness. She cared not only for our mother’s medical needs but also for her humanity and for our family’s emotional well‑being during an incredibly difficult time.

Reese is a true hero to our mother and to us. Her attention to detail, her advocacy, her empathy, and her unwavering dedication reflect the very heart of nursing. We are deeply grateful for everything she did.

Thank you, Reese, for embodying what the DAISY Award stands for.

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 Reese's nomination, click here >>>