About the DAISY Foundation

In late 1999, at the age of 33, Patrick Barnes awoke with blood blisters in his mouth. Having survived Hodgkins Disease twice, he was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with the auto-immune disease, idiopathic thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP). His hospital stay lasted eight weeks with Patrick unfortunately succumbing to ITP.

Just days after he died, the Barnes family formed the DAISY Foundation - Diseases Attacking the Immune System - dedicated to funding research to help fight diseases of the immune system, like the one that struck Patrick, and supporting ITP patients and their families.

One of the first acts of the new foundation was to establish the DAISY Award, a nationwide program that rewards outstanding licensed nursing professionals while recognizing the clinical skills, extraordinary compassion and care exhibited by nurses every day. Since its inception, the DAISY Award has expanded to more than 1,000 health care facilities across the United States.