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Last updated on Friday, May 12, 2017
(BLOOMINGTON) - A heartfelt ceremony Tuesday, held just outside the entrance of the IU Health Bloomington Hospital, included the unveiling of a new sculpture, dedicated to the extraordinary skill and compassion shown by extraordinary nurses - past, present and future.
The sculpture, an imported piece called the "Healer's Touch" was carefully crafted in Zimbabwe, hand-carved by a Shona artist and shipped to the United States. It represents the relationship between nurses and patients and is a world-wide symbol of the DAISY foundation.
To commemorate National Nurses Week and the placing of the life-size serpentine stone sculpture, donated by long-time nurse Janice Ross in conjunction with the Bloomington Hospital Foundation, the founders of the DAISY Foundation made an appearance. The couple, Mark and Bonnie Barnes, shared the story of losing their adult son to Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, and how the nursing care profoundly affected their family.
"It's hard to believe 17 years ago our son passed away. We were just so heart broken. We thought about the one positive thing we could take out of that experience. It was Patrick's nurses," Bonnie said.
She and her husband chose to give back to the nursing profession, starting the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Foundation in 1999, in honor of nurses who excel. Today the award is presented in more than 2,500 healthcare facilities in 50 states and 15 other countries.
DAISY awards are presented regularly to extraordinary nurses throughout the South Central Region of IU Health. South Central Region President Matt Bailey said he has family directly involved in nursing care and that he strongly believes in the program.
"All of you who are involved in nursing, you are making a difference. On behalf of the senior leadership team, we are blessed to have DAISY as a part of our program," Bailey said.
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