A nurse at Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo on Thursday received The DAISY Foundation Award for Extraordinary Nurses for her leadership in nursing care.

Leslie McGee, a veteran at the hospital for more than 20 years, received the recognition in a ceremony in the medical center's auditorium.

She thanked the co-founders of the not-for-profit foundation, Mark and Bonnie Barnes, who lost their son and stepson, respectively, at age 33 to an auto-immune disease. The couple, residents of Glen Ellen, were on hand for the presentation. They started the foundation 12 years ago as a way to recognize the care that J. Patrick Barnes, and his family received during his care at hospitals in Texas and Washington.

McGee said that deaths in her own family gave the honor special meaning.

"Since I've lost my father and my granddaughter, I wanted to honor them and now I know that at least I can by giving the best care possible," McGee said after accepting the recognition. She also received a hand-carved A Healer's Touch sculpture made one of many Zimbabwe artisans that the foundation pay to make them.