Maranda Weeks, a registered nurse who cares for patients at Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, is the most recent winner of FirstHealth’s DAISY Award, which recognizes nurses who go above and beyond to fulfill the system’s core purpose – To Care for People.
Weeks was nominated by the family member of a patient who spent several days at Moore Regional in January 2026.
“Maranda was fully aware of my aunt’s terminal condition and prognosis. She consistently demonstrated deep empathy, presence and kindness during an incredibly difficult time for our family,” the family member wrote in a nomination letter. “Maranda opened her heart to us by sharing her own personal experience of losing her mother in 2020, which allowed her to truly understand the grief and heartache we were experiencing. On the final night of her shift, Maranda stayed with our family in my aunt’s room for well over an hour, simply to comfort and console us.”
The family member said nursing is clearly Weeks’ calling.
“Our family, and I am certain countless others, has been profoundly blessed by the care, compassion and love she gives to those entrusted to her care,” the family member said in their letter.
Shannon O’Neal, MSN R.N.-BC, Weeks’ manager on the Observation Specialty Unit, said Weeks consistently takes extra steps to make patients and families feel seen and cared for.
“Whether it is spending time comforting someone during a difficult moment or even going to the cafeteria or gift shop to buy a patient a special treat to brighten their day, Maranda continuously demonstrates what patient-centered care truly looks like,” O’Neal said in a press release. “Her selflessness, attentiveness and heartfelt dedication leave a lasting impact on both her patients and team. Maranda is an incredible example of nursing excellence and compassion in action.”
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was established by the Daisy Foundation, a not-for-profit, based in Glen Ellen, Calif. The foundation was started by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Barnes and his family received from nurses inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patients’ families.
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