Memorial Announces Alexus King, RN August 2026 DAISY Award Winner

Congratulations to Alexus King, BSN,RN, a nurse at Lake Charles Memorial Health System. She was nominated for her compassion and care to a patient and the patient's family during a difficult time.

From the nominator:

I would like to nominate an extraordinary ICU nurse for the compassion, dignity, and humanity she showed while caring for our mother during the final days of her life. From the moment Alexus stepped into our mother's room, it was clear that she was more than just a nurse; she was a source of comfort during one of the most painful times our family has ever faced. She treated our mother not as a patient, but as a person with respect, gentleness, and genuine care. Every interaction reflected her deep empathy and commitment to preserving our mother’s dignity.

What stood out most was how she cared not only for our mother, but for our entire family. She took the time to explain what was happening in a way we could understand, never rushing us, never making us feel like just another room on her shift. She answered our questions with patience, acknowledged our fears, and gave us space to process everything we were going through. When we felt overwhelmed, she brought calm. When we felt lost, she provided guidance. And in moments when words weren’t enough, her presence alone brought comfort.

As our mother’s condition declined, this nurse continued to show unwavering compassion. She kept our mother comfortable, spoke to her with kindness even when she could no longer respond, and treated her with the same care and respect she would give her own loved one. Those small, meaningful actions will stay with us forever. Losing our mother is something we will carry for the rest of our lives, but because of this nurse, we also carry gratitude. Gratitude for the dignity she preserved, the compassion she showed, and the peace she helped bring during such a heartbreaking time. She represents everything the DAISY Award stands for. We will never forget her kindness, and we are forever thankful for the care she gave our mother and all of us. With deepest appreciation.

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 Alexus's nomination, click here >>>