Tessa Bradshaw, RN, named first quarterly DAISY recipient of 2026

Catawba Valley Health System is proud to announce its latest quarterly DAISY Award winner – Tessa Bradshaw, RN, Emergency Room Charge Nurse. Her nomination read:

“Tessa advocates for all her patients. As charge nurse most of her shifts, she advocates for every patient in the department. A recent patient really stands out. The adolescent patient had an extended length of stay in the ED due to multiple circumstances. Tessa and the patient really bonded. Tessa spent time reassuring the patient that he should believe in himself and that although he had made some bad decisions, those bad decisions did not define who he was going to be.

“Tessa spent time helping him do homework, specifically writing rap songs and stories. Tessa recognized boredom and brought the patient a very large lego set in for the patient to work on. Staff was amazed at how much the patient enjoyed working on the Lego set and how he would spend hours on the tedious project. The patient was excited to send Tessa pictures of the progress. I also witnessed Tessa using her lunch break to help him work on the project.

“On the day of discharge, the patient made it a point to have me tell Tessa goodbye and thank her for being so nice to him. Tessa made a difference in this patient, and I am confident he will never forget her kindness.”

The DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died of complications of the auto-immune disease ITP in 1999. During his hospitalization, they deeply appreciated the care and compassion shown to Patrick and his entire family. When he died, they felt compelled to say “thank you” to nurses in a very public way.

The award is given in numerous countries around the world. To learn more, visit DAISYFoundation.org. If you would like to nominate someone to receive the DAISY Award, visit CatawbaValleyHealth.org/DAISY.