Kramer honored for his care

BELLEVUE — Amid National Nurses Week, May 6-12, the Bellevue Hospital named Dan Kramer, a registered nurse, as the latest recipient of a Daisy Award. Additionally, May 6 coincided with National Nurses Day. They both recognize "the invaluable contributions nurses make in health care and our lives while addressing the real-life challenges they face every day," according to a statement from American Nurses Enterprise. The award is part of the Daisy Foundation's programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. Kramer works for the hospital's cancer care and infusion services department. "Dan joined our staff in 1993 and was selected from a group of 23 exceptional nurse nominees for his outstanding dedication, compassion and commitment to patient care," according to a hospital statement. "Please join us in congratulating Dan on this well-deserved honor. The Daisy Foundation, a nonprofit, was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, a little-known but not uncommon autoimmune disease. The care Barnes 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.