December 2025
Anderiana
Alchehayed
,
RN
5700 Pediatric ICU
Loma Linda University Children's Hospital
Loma Linda
,
CA
United States
Every respiratory therapist, every tech, every housekeeper who walked by, she greeted them with gratitude.
Recently, my son was admitted to the PICU at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital for an exacerbation of his asthma. Everything felt like a whirlwind of alarms, oxygen masks, and worry. As a parent, there’s nothing more terrifying than seeing your child struggle to breathe, something I shouldn't be used to but something I have gotten to see more often than I would like. But in the middle of that storm, there was calm, Nurse Andy.
Her full name is Anderiana, but everyone just calls her Nurse Andy. The moment she stepped into the room, it was like a light had been turned on. When she was beside my son’s bed, gently introduced herself and spoke to him with such warmth that I knew he was in good hands. She didn’t just treat his asthma. She treated him and everyone who was in the room, always making sure we were ok and didn't need anything. My son is one who wants everything explained to him, and she definitely explained every step she was taking, like he was the most important person in the world.
It wasn’t just how she treated my son. What moved me even more was how she treated everyone. Every respiratory therapist, every tech, every housekeeper who walked by, she greeted them with gratitude. "Thank you for help," and her "God bless you," she'd say, with sincerity that you don’t always see in a busy hospital, and you know she means it.
What she didn’t know was that I, too, am an employee of the hospital. I’ve seen many nurses in action, but watching Nurse Andy reminded me why I chose to work in healthcare in the first place, and that she is the type of nurse I want to be when I am done with school. She didn’t know she was being observed by a fellow staff member. That’s what made it real. The kindness, the patience, the gratitude, it was simply who she is. My son had great nurses during his stay in the hospital, but her kindness really stood out.
Nurse Andy is more than just a skilled PICU nurse. She’s a reminder that love and compassion are just as important as medicine and machines. And for that, I will forever be grateful.
Her full name is Anderiana, but everyone just calls her Nurse Andy. The moment she stepped into the room, it was like a light had been turned on. When she was beside my son’s bed, gently introduced herself and spoke to him with such warmth that I knew he was in good hands. She didn’t just treat his asthma. She treated him and everyone who was in the room, always making sure we were ok and didn't need anything. My son is one who wants everything explained to him, and she definitely explained every step she was taking, like he was the most important person in the world.
It wasn’t just how she treated my son. What moved me even more was how she treated everyone. Every respiratory therapist, every tech, every housekeeper who walked by, she greeted them with gratitude. "Thank you for help," and her "God bless you," she'd say, with sincerity that you don’t always see in a busy hospital, and you know she means it.
What she didn’t know was that I, too, am an employee of the hospital. I’ve seen many nurses in action, but watching Nurse Andy reminded me why I chose to work in healthcare in the first place, and that she is the type of nurse I want to be when I am done with school. She didn’t know she was being observed by a fellow staff member. That’s what made it real. The kindness, the patience, the gratitude, it was simply who she is. My son had great nurses during his stay in the hospital, but her kindness really stood out.
Nurse Andy is more than just a skilled PICU nurse. She’s a reminder that love and compassion are just as important as medicine and machines. And for that, I will forever be grateful.