Kansas City VA Nurse Receives DAISY Award

The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize the extraordinary and compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.

"I was completely shocked to be chosen. I work alongside so many talented and caring nurses at KCVA, and I know that makes it hard to pick just one person." Mapes said.

For the past 15 months, Abigail has worked on 8 West as an ICU Nurse for KCVA. Prior to her time here, she worked at CenterPoint Medical Center and Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital. During the pandemic, she worked as an Intensive Care Unit nurse in New York and New Orleans.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Abigail was driven by a deep sense of duty to continue caring for those who have served our nation. "Every day, I strive to honor my family's legacy of service in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps," Abigal passionately stated. "I was overjoyed when she was selected to work in the Kansas City VA."

Even as a child, she wanted to help people. During high school, her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, and she began providing care throughout her grandmother's treatment. "The healthcare field was my calling. I wanted to provide care for others as I helped care for her."

Her Nursing supervisor, Taressa Morgan, said, "Abigail Mapes embodies the essence of excellence in nursing. "Winning the DAISY Award is a testament to her exceptional service and the profound impact she has had on the lives of the Veterans she serves."

Mapes spoke highly of the KCVA staff and her team. “The KCVA is a place of teamwork and collaboration. We all work together to achieve the best outcome for the veteran. That is why I could not accept this award without recognizing all my coworkers and supervisors. They all care so much about the veterans and performing to the best of their abilities.
 

I take so much pride in doing my job with compassion, and this award boosts my morale."

I am so honored that someone took the time to recognize me for something I did."

The award included a sculpture called The Healer’s Touch. Hand-carved by artists in Zimbabwe, each piece is signed by one of the many Shona artists that The DAISY Foundation supports. “The economy and politics of Zimbabwe have been in turmoil for decades, and the artists are able to support hundreds of people in their families with this work,” according to 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 this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues by dropping off a completed form in any of the DAISY boxes around the medical center and its outpatient clinics. The award recipient is chosen by a committee at John J. Pershing VA Medical Center. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the Honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors. Each honoree receives a certificate commending her or him as an "Extraordinary Nurse." The certificate reads: "In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people."

In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 3,900 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care nurses, nurse-led teams, nurse leaders, nursing faculty, nursing students, through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects and for nurses participating in medical missions. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.