DAISY Award
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is proud to partner with the not-for-profit DAISY Foundation to recognize and celebrate nurses every month. The DAISY Award is an international recognition program started in memory of J. Patrick Barnes to express gratitude to nurses. The Barnes family experienced excellent treatment and outstanding compassionate care, and the family created this award after seeing what a difference nurses made in Pat’s care. The DAISY Award lets patients, families, and CHLA team members thank and honor special nurses and the incredibly meaningful difference they make in the lives of so many people. There are both individual and team DAISY Awards. Anyone can nominate a nurse or nurse-led team for a DAISY Award!
Please visit DAISYFoundation.org to learn more about Pat’s story and how the DAISY Award recognizes extraordinary nurses.
Each DAISY Award honoree is recognized at a public ceremony in their unit and receives: an award certificate, a DAISY award pin, and a hand-carved stone sculpture, “A Healer’s Touch.” Additionally, everyone in the unit celebrates with Cinnabon cinnamon rolls - a favorite of Pat’s during his illness. The Barnes family asks that whenever and wherever nurses smell that wonderful cinnamon aroma, they stop for a moment and thing about how special they are.
Nominate a CHLA nurse, or team led by a nurse!
2025 Honorees
Benjamin Gelbart, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Benjamin Gelbart, BSN, RN, who received the latest DAISY Award! Gelbart, who works on 6 East, was nominated by a grateful patient’s parent who shared how much they appreciated the skillful care and steadfast support provided during this patient’s stay.
“Ben went above and beyond to ensure my [child] was receiving the best care possible. I was able to take time for myself which is exactly what I needed after being inpatient for a week. Not only did Ben bless [my child] with his care, but also me as a parent,” shared the nominator. “Ben was intelligent in all nursing aspects and planning ahead. Ben was a great communicator to ensure what I wanted came true. We discussed plans and outcomes in depth. I felt like we were receiving one-on-one care, even while he still had other patients receiving care.”
Lucia Mendez, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Lucia Mendez, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC, who received the latest DAISY Award! Mendez, who works in the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit (NICCU), was nominated by a fellow CHLA team member, who shared a heartfelt story of how Mendez supported a particular patient and family during a difficult end-of-life situation.
"Lucy is an exemplary nurse that demonstrates kindness and extraordinary compassion towards patients and families, while showing her peers a strong sense of loyalty and dedication," shared the nominator. "She is the quiet and thoughtful nurse that helps calm the parents that are too worried about their child that they forget to take care of themselves. Lucy is the type of nurse that embodies what a DAISY nurse is. She shows love and dedication to her profession. And Lucy inspires all of us to go that extra mile for all our patients and families."
2024 Honorees
Sarah Herr, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Sarah Herr, BSN, RN, who received the latest DAISY Award! Herr, who works in the Santa Monica Specialty Care Center, was nominated by two of her fellow CHLA team members, who shared that she is the "heart and soul" of their clinic and highlighted her talent for connecting in a meaningful way with patients and families.
"There just aren't enough words to express how great of a nurse she is," shared one nominator. "She speaks to children in a calm, nurturing, and loving tone that puts them at ease. The engaging dialogue, playful nature of Sarah's approach, and overall compassionate care that she provides for these little ones is admirable at least and inspiring to most. Nothing warms my heart over more than when I see patients leaving and say hi and thank you to Sarah on their way out. But that's who Sarah is, someone who cares deeply about her patients, her coworkers, and people at large. She'll drop whatever she is doing in order to help others regardless of the impact it may have on her already large workload."
"She puts aside special toys for the children and saves them for them according to their interests. Sarah's love for children makes her a natural when they come in and they all are excited to see her," shared another nominator. "She is so knowledgeable and looks at every patient as a specific case with specific needs and goes out of her way to meet them all. She goes out of her way to make our office run as smooth as possible. She is exceptional, and we are so lucky to have her."
Casey Brown, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Casey Brown, BSN, RN, who received the latest DAISY Award! Brown, who works in the Infusion Center, was nominated by a patient’s parent who noted that Brown is “truly caring and devoted to her patients,” highlighting how she is particularly skilled with IV placement, alleviating any anxiety for this patient.
“Casey has a special way of calming her down and getting the IV in. Yesterday, my daughter had to have a procedure done at the surgery center. Casey organized with the doctor that she will be available to take care of placing her IV there. You could see how my daughter went from being very nervous to completely calm,” shared the nominator. “Casey is a nurse that knows how to relax children in a hospital.”
Megan Muro, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Megan Muro, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC, who received the latest DAISY Award! Muro, who works in the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit (NICCU), was nominated a grateful parent. They shared that Muro took excellent care of their child during a nearly four-week hospitalization, providing comfort not only for their infant but for the family as well.
"She seemed to know when either of us was particularly sad or anxious about [our baby] and would go out of [her] way to involve us in day-to-day care, or just chat with us generally about our lives to calm us down. Megan celebrated with us when [our baby] was taken off a ventilator and when blood gas levels were good," shared the nominator. "Everyone we worked with at CHLA was truly excellent, and Megan stands out because she made the whole experience that much easier for us to bear. We owe her a special, special thanks. We regret that we can’t nominate every nurse who worked with [us]. We have never seen such high-quality medical care. We are so lucky."
Tigran Galadzhyan, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Tigran Galadzhyan, RN, ADN, CPN, who received the latest DAISY Award! Galadzhyan, who is part of the Vascular Access Team, was nominated by a Child Life team member who shared a particular story about Galadzhyan but noted that it's just one example of similar support he has provided multiple times. They highlighted how he works collaboratively with all members of the care team to ensure the best possible experience for patients.
"Once in the room, Tigran's presence was comforting, calming, supportive, and confident. Not only does this help put the family at ease; it puts staff at ease. When Tigran is the one doing an IV placement, I feel confident that my child life assessment will be heard and valued and that the procedure will go as smoothly as possible," shared the nominator. "He is a wonderful educator to patients, families, and staff. I have been able to see Tigran help a very anxious patient feel more comfortable by allowing them to play with the vein finder, or as Tigran likes to refer to it, a 'lightsaber,' prior to it being used on the patient, to ensure they feel comfortable with the medical equipment. Small moments like this are what make Tigran an absolute pleasure to work with."
Megan Chapman, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Megan Chapman, MSN, RN, who received the latest DAISY Award! Chapman, who works in the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit (NICCU), was nominated by the parents of a patient juggling multiple diagnoses. They shared that they were having “a difficult time staying hopeful” when Chapman began to care for their child. They expressed gratitude for Chapman’s patient advocacy and dedication.
“She is a proactive nurse that doesn’t just wait for catastrophes, she prevents them. My wife and I are beyond thankful that Megan was here when she was. She cared for our baby as if it was her own, and her dedication to her work and the passion with which she does it is beyond evident,” shared the nominator. “Not only did she manage very tense situations, but she did so with an unwavering sense of calm resilience, and was communicative and kind every step of the way.”
Presley Bowman, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Presley Bowman, BSN, RN, who received the latest DAISY Award! Bowman, who works on 5 East, was nominated by a patient's parent who was thankful for thoughtful gestures and kindness provided during the patient's first-ever hospital admission.
"Presley was so warm and welcoming, going out of her way to help make [our] stay feel like a fun experience. We were admitted in the early morning before the game room and library were open, and Presley went out of her way to find some of these items in the meantime," shared the nominator. "A conversation she initiated with [our child] about their favorite type of shows and books led to a surprise delivery of books from these titles. She kept us up to date on what to expect next on the schedule so that we could plan out much needed naps for the entire family. Presley not only made sure that every need [we] had was attended to with joy, but also went out of her way to anticipate making the next phase of our hospital journey smoother like helping to get [a] prescription filled earlier. Her dedicated care helped make the continuous protocols and monitoring procedures less taxing, and at the end of [our child's] stay, [their] exact words were 'I love this place, it’s so awesome! I wish I could stay here longer!'"
Hannah McKee, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Hannah McKee, BSN, RN, who received the latest DAISY Award! McKee, who works in the PICU, was nominated by a patient’s parent who was surprised and thankful for the extra attention given to recognize the patient who was spending their birthday in the PICU following a surgery.
“Hannah went out of her way to make sure [he] knew that his birthday was a big deal to everyone. In addition to taking excellent medical care of him, she and another nurse handmade a banner out of printed letters and cut out flag shapes, then strung them together with cloth ribbon and snuck into our room to hang a ‘Happy Birthday!’ banner for him to wake up to,” shared the nominator. “It completely made his day. But even further–she arranged for a care package with ANOTHER handmade sign for him and a Lego kit to arrive during rounds. She really worried about the whole patient, and really saw the whole person. We were so touched by her kindness and really felt she went above and beyond.”
Catherine Dickens, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Catherine Dickens, BSN, RN, who received the latest DAISY Award! Dickens, who works on the BMT unit, was nominated by a fellow CHLA team member who wanted to recognize her “compassion and excellent nursing care,” particularly related to the care provided for a specific patient in a difficult, end-of-life scenario.
“She went out of her way to show them love and support. Catherine’s advocacy and hard work gave [them] weeks of comfort and love surrounded by [their] family,” shared the nominator. “I cannot express enough what a gift Catherine was to this patient and family. Catherine’s compassion and patience were an honor to witness. I am proud to work alongside her.”
Meery Panlilio, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Meery Panlilio, MSN, RN, CNOR, who received the latest DAISY Award! Panlilio, who works in the Operating Room, was nominated by a fellow CHLA team member who wanted to recognize Panlilio’s skills, commitment to families with children being cared for at CHLA, and her recent success taking on a new role of ENT nurse coordinator.
“She is always there to assist with any equipment or answer any question we might have while doing any procedure with any of the ENT surgeons. We can always count on her to help us with questions we might have during a difficult case,” shared the nominator. “[A] few months ago, room six was under construction; the is the main room where most of the ENT cases are done. She did [an] exceptional job by helping all of us with supplies and equipment during this time of construction. Her responsibilities as a coordinator are many but she is always very pleasant to work with.”
Wendy Ho, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Wendy Ho, BSN, RN, CPHON, who received the latest DAISY Award! Ho, who works on 4 West, was nominated by a patient’s parent who wanted to recognize Ho’s bedside manner, time management and patient care skills.
“Wendy she is the definition of a nurse. [She is a] quick thinker, used great judgment, [and is] very knowledgeable,” shared the nominator. “She’s amazing! Coming from a nurse myself, I would love to be more like her.”
Grace Snyder, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Grace Snyder, BSN, RN, who recently received the DAISY Award! Snyder, who works in the Emergency Department, was nominated by a patient’s parent who was thoroughly impressed by the care, attention and understanding provided by Snyder. The patient needed to have a nasogastric tube placed, and was understandably anxious.
“What struck me the most was Nurse Grace’s genuine concern for my [child’s] pain and discomfort. She took the time to understand my [child’s] fears and anxieties, and she approached the procedure with utmost care and sensitivity. With her calm demeanor and reassuring presence, she was able to make my [child] feel at ease,” shared the nominator. “Nurse Grace’s dedication and compassion truly touched our hearts. Thank you, Nurse Grace, for the exceptional care and support you provided. You are truly an angel in disguise, and we will always remember your kindness and expertise.”
Melissa Lee, RN, Receives DAISY Award
Congratulations to Melissa Lee, BSN, RN, CPN, who received the latest DAISY Award! Lee, who works on the Duque 6 Rehabilitation unit, was nominated by a patient who wanted to share the ways in which Lee’s care has had a positive impact.
“My nurse Melissa is so very sweet and caring. She has to be one of the best nurses I have ever had,” shared the nominator. “She makes sure that I feel better. She treats me like if I’m her own kid, which I love. She’s so pretty and just a really big sweetheart. I bet a lot of kids feel the same way too. She is like the rainbow Care Bear making everyone feel like they are at home. I would write way more, but it is hard for me to do so. Melissa, you are just the best nurse ever. You deserve a DAISY. I know you make others feel this way too.
