Memorial Announces Wendy Roach, BSN, RN, OCN, CBRN September 2026 DAISY Award Winner

I would like to commend Wendy Roach. Wendy consistently goes above and beyond to meet the needs of our patients, addressing both their clinical and social challenges with compassion, dedication, and professionalism. She approaches every challenge head-on, finding innovative and effective solutions to ensure patients receive the care and support they need.

As the only RN in the office full-time, Wendy plays a critical role in assisting all patients, serving as a trusted resource for both clinical guidance and care coordination. One of Wendy's most impactful accomplishments has been the development and implementation of a comprehensive chemotherapy patient education program. She independently conducts these educational sessions, ensuring that every patient beginning chemotherapy is well informed, prepared, and supported as they start their treatment journey. Her commitment to patient education helps reduce anxiety and empowers patients to actively participate in their care.

Recently, our practice has experienced an increase in patients facing homelessness and housing insecurity. Wendy has gone above and beyond to help these vulnerable individuals by coordinating housing placements and support services during treatment, radiation therapy, postoperative recovery, and beyond. She works tirelessly to remove barriers to care and improve patient outcomes. No matter the circumstance, Wendy carries out her responsibilities with a positive attitude, genuine compassion, and a smile. Her dedication to patient-centered care, advocacy, and service excellence makes her exceptionally deserving of recognition in Patient Navigation.

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 Wendy's nomination, click here >>>