Spring 2024 DAISY Award®

Aidan Demarah, a 2024 graduate of the Registered Nursing program at Kankakee Community College, has been awarded The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nursing Students.

The annual award is part of The DAISY Foundation's mission to express gratitude to nurses with programs that recognize them for the extraordinary, compassionate and skillful care they provide patients and families.

Demarah, a Bourbonnais resident, was nominated twice during his final semester at KCC. He was chosen by a committee at KCC, and the award was presented on May 10 at the registered nursing pinning ceremony. Demarah received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

Demarah received his first DAISY nomination from a family member of an intensive care unit patient. “Aidan has been great to interact with during our stay here,” the person said. “His compassion and concern for every patient shows.” Their name is withheld to protect their privacy.

“Nearly every time he passes our room, he pops his head in and asks if we need anything,”
the person said. “He’s taken the time to answer all of our questions and/or find out the answers. We are going to miss his warm smile and friendly wave as he passes by our room. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be an excellent nurse!!!”

Demarah’s other nomination was from a KCC nursing professor, Pat Bukowski.

“Recently, a student had a medical emergency that Aidan witnessed,” Bukowski said. “He rushed to help the student, calling for faculty to assist while rendering first aid. His compassion and caring for this student was excellent. He stayed with her until paramedics arrived, making sure she was safe and comfortable. He demonstrated excellent communication skills when speaking calmly to the student, giving her reassurance and support. At one point, the student stated, ‘What is under my head?’ Aidan replied, ‘My hand. I didn’t want your head resting on the hard floor.’”

Demarah has accepted a full-time job as a nurse in the intensive care unit at Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee.

KCC’s two-year registered nursing program has a competitive entry process, and accepts new students each fall and spring semester. It incorporates classroom lectures, clinical experiences and lab demonstrations. The program is designed to prepare students for work in hospital departments, as well as in long-term care, home care, business and industry, outpatient clinics, public agencies, and physicians’ offices.

For information about entry requirements, consult with a KCC advisor or contact the program director, Jennifer Rogers at jrogers@kcc.edu or phone 815-802-8828.

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 evidenced-based means of providing nurse recognition and thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

More information is available at DAISYfoundation.org.