Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Wilkes Medical Center named registered nurse Destiny Church as the hospital’s latest DAISY Award winner on Feb. 5, 2025.
The DAISY Award is a nationwide program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care given by nurses every day. Wilkes Medical Center recognizes one of its nurses with this special honor every quarter. Each honoree receives a banner, certificate, DAISY Award pin and a hand carved “A Healer’s Touch” stone sculpture.
Church was nominated by a patient who said she provided extraordinary care to their family member. Church immediately helped the family member’s brother, and they felt comfortable with her skills and ability.
When asked why she wanted to become a nurse, Church said, “ever since I was a little girl, I knew that I had more love in my heart than I knew what to do with. I pride myself on treating all of my patients as if they are my own family members. Patients that come into the hospital are sometimes at the worst point of their lives, so if I can go into a room and allow them to forget about their problems and pain for even just a few minutes, I've done my job. I feel as if being a nurse is what I was born to do; I cannot be more blessed to continue bringing joy to everyone I come across. Even if I spend just a few minutes with a patient or their family they have made an imprint in my soul.”
The next DAISY Award winner will be announced in April 2025.