My son was flown into Norton Children's hospital due to what we thought was a seizure. His condition was bleak the doctors were trying to remain optimistic but also trying to brace us for the worse. They ran so many tests and for days we sat there not knowing what he was going to be like when he woke up. If he would be able to speak, play, or control his body at all it was the most terrifying thing I've ever gone through, and it wasn't happening to me. When I was trying not to fall apart, we had the most amazing person in the room with us. She was our nurse in the PICU for the first 2 days of what ended up being a week-long stay.

This nurse is more than just a nurse in so many ways. She was our voice of hope in the darkest place imaginable. She explained every procedure and treatment as if she was ordering them herself, she knows everything just as if she created the processes herself. She let us know that we were her family now and she had our backs no matter what happened. This nurse told me that my son had 2 moms now because she considered each child, she cares for like it's her kid. She made sure we had access to social workers when we had concerns about things back home that had nothing to do with my son. She made sure we had food and reminded us to get rest because my son needed me to be ok when he woke up, not if he woke up.

She takes on so much and each family that comes into her room is blessed with having the absolute best person you could ever ask for in your corner. This nurse made recommendations to my son's care team based on how he was responding to the medications. She knew based on his readings what meds would help him and what should be paired with them to help him to recover faster. This nurse told us how she got her start as a pediatric nurse, her mother has done the same job for over 20 years and after trying schooling as a veterinarian she found out her heart was with the people she was working with. So, she changed gears and hasn't looked back since. She said epilepsy is her life and her passion. As a parent of an epileptic child, it is the most terrifying condition I've ever tried to help my child live with I couldn't be more grateful to this nurse for being there when we needed her most. I told her I wanted to keep her and adopt her into our family as well. Every family that comes into this nurse’s room is in great hands and that child has a better chance to fight the unthinkable.

She is so much more than a nurse, she's a Godsend. My son did make a miraculous recovery and I'll be forever grateful to the doctors, nurses, and staff at Norton Children's because you really can't get better care anywhere.