Angyl Faythe, a nursing student in the Philippines, was awarded Health Carousel’s 100^th DAISY Award at the 100th award celebration that took place on February 21, 2023, in Cebu, Philippines. While every DAISY Award celebration is a tale of the super-human work nurses do for patients and families daily, it is hard to imagine a story that better embodies the optimism we should have for the future of nursing globally.

In this instance Angyl saved the life of a woman out on the streets of Cebu who suffered a critical knife wound to her neck. She performed her life-saving duty as she was trained despite not knowing if the attacker was nearby and ready to strike again.

“When I saw the woman was about to collapse," says Angyl, "I told myself, if no one will help, then who will? That was why I immediately responded.”

Even days after the incident occurred, Faith and her friends continued to monitor the woman’s condition. She and her classmates reached out to the victim’s relatives to make sure that someone would be watching over the woman at the hospital, and learn about her recovery progress.

For her heroism, skill, and compassionate care, Health Carousel Philippines awarded her The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students in front of 749 nursing students, nursing faculty, parents, and guests attending her nurse capping ceremony.

“Compassionate care was exhibited in its purist form by Angyl in this moment," says Donita Ross MSN, RN, NE-BC, CGNC  ACNO/VP of Health Carousel International. "Angyl went far above and beyond the call of duty to ensure this stranger not only survived but was protected and was not alone in a moment of crisis. That is the definition of extraordinary and that is what this award is about." 

Between the Health Carousel Corporate program and the International Advocate Program, 100 DAISY Awards have been given out.

These numerous awards provide meaningful recognition to direct care nurses, nursing school faculty, and nursing students for demonstrating and inspiring above-and-beyond commitment to care and compassion for patients and their families.

In 2018 Health Carousel began its relationship with the DAISY Foundation™ and started collecting patient nominations for the DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses. A corporate committee meets quarterly to review the nominations and selects one nurse from Health Carousel Philippines and each U.S. corporate division who exemplifies the DAISY Award‘s focus on above-and-beyond compassionate care. Health Carousel coordinates with leadership at the recipients' assigned healthcare facilities to hold surprise award ceremonies.

Additionally, as The DAISY Foundation sought to provide meaningful recognition of nurses in developing countries where funding was a barrier to bringing DAISY’s international program to nurses, Health Carousel stepped up and became DAISY’s first International Advocate, underwriting the awards program in Uganda, Ghana, and Cameroon. Health Carousel most recently underwrote the first ever DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty and Nursing Students awards on the continent of Africa at EXIST University School of Nursing in Cameroon.

In a congratulatory video recorded to mark this Health Carousel achievement, Bonnie Barnes, Co-Founder of the DAISY Foundation, commented, "this is a seriously important milestone. It demonstrates your company's incredible dedication to meaningful recognition of nurses and all nurses bring to our healthcare system. We could not be more proud of our relationship, not just for the DAISY Awards you give but for your advocacy for our international work."

At a time when headlines highlight nursing shortages and the impact it has on access to care, it's reassuring that organizations such as Health Carousel, Health Carousel Philippines, and The DAISY Foundation are working together to improve workforce satisfaction and retention through meaningful nurse recognition. Meanwhile, Health Carousel's demonstrated commitment to lighting the way in global nursing sustainability and development programs is growing even stronger with the formation of the Health Carousel Foundation at the end of 2022.

About The DAISY Foundation

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired the creation of The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses, an evidence-based means of providing nurse recognition and thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. Today, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 5,700 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing, with meaningful recognition programs that honor nurses wherever they practice, wherever they are in their careers, and through several lines of grant funding that support evidence-based practice projects and medical mission work. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.

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