The executive leadership team at Bon Secours – St. Mary’s Hospital kicked off National Nurses’ Week with a special tribute. They dedicated a DAISY Foundation Healer’s Touch Sculpture to all the hospital’s nurses. It is a thank you to them for their bravery, compassion, and dedication to mission, particularly during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The DAISY Foundation, which stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System Foundation, was founded in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes. He died from complications with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).
However, the nursing care Patrick received when hospitalized profoundly touched his family. Today, the foundation’s DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is given to nurses to celebrate the skill they put into their work and the care they deliver.
The serpentine stone sculpture, paid for by the Bon Secours Foundation, is hand carved by a Shona Tribe artist from Zimbabwe. It is especially meaningful because of the profound respect that the Shona people pay their traditional healers. Shona healers are affectionately regarded as treasures by those they care for, and the well-being and safety of the healer is of community-wide importance.
The sculpture first starts as a huge rock weighing approximately 350 pounds. It’s then carved down. Once complete, the sculpture stands at approximately three feet tall weighing upwards of 150 pounds.
The Healer’s Touch sculpture, installed in the lobby at St. Mary’s Hospital, was revealed to hospital team members during a dedication event with social distancing. With its specific placement in the lobby, the sculpture will serve as a constant reminder to all nurses about just how special they are and how important their work is.
Thank you to our nurses for their courageous and compassionate care. We are humbled and honored by their service and dedication to our mission.
Read stories that celebrate our amazing Bon Secours nurses.
Stay updated on what Bon Secours is doing related to COVID-19.
