Memorial Announces Alanna Thomas, LPN October 2026 DAISY Award Winner

​I would like to commend Alanna Thomas for the extraordinary compassion, critical thinking, and nursing judgment she demonstrated during a phone interaction with a patient.

The patient had recently experienced significant emotional distress and had been seen in our clinic following a routine outpatient procedure. The patient contacted Alanna seeking test results that were not yet available due to the procedure having been completed only the day before. During the conversation, Alanna recognized that the patient was becoming increasingly anxious and took time to provide reassurance, explaining that the clinic would communicate results as soon as they became available.

As the conversation continued, the patient expressed significant fear and worry after independently researching information related to the procedure findings. Alanna recognized that the level of distress being expressed warranted further assessment. Drawing upon her nursing experience and compassionate instincts, she paused the conversation's original purpose and began asking thoughtful questions to better understand the patient's emotional state and safety.

During this discussion, Alanna identified concerning statements that suggested the patient could be at risk for self-harm. When she offered assistance and recommended emergency intervention, the patient declined and abruptly ended the call.

Deeply concerned for the patient's well-being, Alanna relied on her clinical judgment and took immediate action by contacting local law enforcement to request a welfare check. She later learned that responders were able to make contact with the patient and intervene during a critical moment, ensuring the patient received urgent evaluation and support.

Alanna's actions exemplify what nursing is all about. She went far beyond the expected responsibilities of her role by recognizing warning signs, asking the right questions, and advocating for a patient's safety when it mattered most. Her quick thinking, compassion, and commitment to patient care very likely changed the course of this individual's life.

I am honored to work alongside a nurse like Alanna. Her ability to combine clinical expertise, critical thinking, and genuine concern for others is truly inspiring. I cannot think of a more deserving candidate for a DAISY Award nomination.

"Alanna's actions exemplify what nursing is all about. She went far beyond the expected responsibilities of her role by recognizing warning signs, asking the right questions, and advocating for a patient's safety when it mattered most."

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 Alanna's nomination, click here >>>