I think everyone who had the pleasure of working side by side with Toni can vouch for her superb skills and knowledge. She is an inspiration to many, with her ability to take the most complex patient and her willingness to share her knowledge and give a helping hand.
Toni was the nurse for a child who had multiple surgeries and intubations. While everyone knew she was an only child for those parents, they did not know that her older sibling had died. The parents were calm and did not talk about it, but every setback for this child was hitting them hard. Knowing the story of their other child, this is understandable.
After emergency surgery due to dehiscence of the abdominal wound and multiple days of intubation, the child was finally extubated and we were trying to wean off the sedation. After talking with the parents, Toni realized that this child was used to sleeping in a cradleboard. Instead of just giving the child more sedation to keep the child calm, Toni decided to build a cradleboard from supplies that she received with Child Life assistance and blankets we had on the unit. She took on this extra work on her own and showed what it truly means to see the whole patient: nationality, history, traditions, religion.
Unbeknownst to Toni, the mother had gone home to bring the cradleboard in for the child. By the time Toni finished her homemade cradleboard, the mother had returned with the one from home. The mother couldn't believe that someone would take the time to build a cradleboard for her child! To see the look on the mother's face when she saw it and watch her visibly relax in that moment was a privilege to watch. Because she felt that her child mattered.
Toni is the nurse that many of us strive to be!