Amanda Waskiewicz, RN

There are not enough words to describe how wonderful Nurse Amanda is. As the mom of a daughter who was flown in as a trauma, I cannot express the shock I was feeling on the night of my daughter's ATV accident. Needless to say, the pain and fright my daughter was feeling when we were moved up to the Peds floor after the trauma room, with a sutured, extremely painful, swollen hand with broken bones and a fractured foot awaiting surgery the next morning.

When we arrived at the room in Peds, Amanda was there with her amazing, kind smile to greet us. It was around 11:00–11:30 p.m., and Jenna was supposed to be NPO at midnight for surgery. I will never forget the words Amanda said: "Would you like me to go get you some of your favorite snacks and a drink from the vending machine? I know you probably don't want a turkey sandwich."

Within minutes, Amanda came back with Cheez-Its, Doritos, Nerd Clusters, and two drinks for my daughter and me that she paid for out of care and generosity. I cannot even express in words how much that meant in that moment. It's the little things in desperate, scared moments that absolutely mean the most—not only to a scared mom of a sixteen-year-old, but to my daughter herself.

Amanda is so knowledgeable, her approach with patients is exceptional, and she is a highly skilled nurse.

Fast forward seven days and three surgeries in the OR later, Amanda walked in the door for night shift, and my daughter's face lit up with the biggest smile I had seen in a long time.

This is nursing. This is what compassionate, skilled care is all about. As a family, and on behalf of my daughter, we will never be able to say thank you to the beautiful, kind, caring Amanda enough!