Amber was our primary nurse while my daughter was in the NICU after being born 8 weeks early. My husband and I live in New York City, and I just happened to be visiting friends in Charlottesville when I unexpectedly went into labor very far from home. My husband raced down and made it just in time for the birth. Amber was with us the night C was born and she went into the NICU. Her way of being both direct and informative with us, while still showing a great deal of compassion, put us greatly at ease. My husband asked her if he could hug her before leaving that night with tears in his eyes. But the true kindness and compassion that Amber exemplified came throughout the many days later by how she stuck with us and truly cared how C progressed from day to day. One day out of nowhere I became very emotional and homesick when nothing seemed to be going right. Amber sat with me and talked me through it. She took the time to support and build us up at every opportunity, even when she was clearly very busy. She not only truly cared for C, but she gave us the confidence we needed to give C the very best care and get her home as soon as possible. We will always be incredibly grateful for her making that difficult and confusing time more bearable and positive and taking such special care of our daughter.
Amber clearly demonstrated exemplary medical acumen and was able to clearly explain to us everything that was happening and why. She had such patience for all of our questions and took the time to answer each no matter how many we asked. She made those days in the NICU brighter, and we could sleep easier each night knowing she was looking out for C. Possibly her most meaningful impact went beyond being a nurse. To us, she was also a teacher, a coach and a cheerleader. Now back in New York with those days in the NICU behind us, we still can't stop raving about our experience at UVA and especially about Amber and her commitment and true compassion for our success as a new family. Thank you Amber.