I'm a first-time mother, at 19 years old. My son, J, has a condition called vanishing gastroschisis and is also a short gut baby. We had not been here at LeBonheur very long when a certain nurse not only walked into our room but into our hearts as well. The first night we had Bradley Eppich there was a connection and we knew instantly we wanted to have him as our nurse every chance we got. So, we made him our primary. There are not enough words I could write that could tell you how we feel about Bradley. He can make anyone laugh on their absolute worst day, as he has done to me. No matter how bad the outcome looks or the situation is, he remains very supportive and positive. He takes his job to the next level and deserves way more than what we can offer him.
There is a bond between J and Bradley that is undeniable. There was a day that nothing I did made J happy. Bradley walked in, picked him up, swayed with him and sang to him, J instantly stopped crying. There have been times when I've woken up in the middle of the night and Bradley is talking and playing with J in his free time. I was instantly comforted because I knew that J was not only in good hands but in hands that cared for him. This is not just a job to him, he has gone above and beyond with J's care from the very beginning. Anyone can see that J isn't just an assignment to Brad.
One day the doctors informed us that J's newborn screening came back positive for Cystic Fibrosis, a disease I lost my mother to at a young age. I instantly went to Brad when his shift started. He hurt with me and hugged me as I cried and gave me a pep talk, that I'll always hold to my heart and repeat to myself daily. "You have to stop worrying about the future and stressing about his condition and the things you can't change, instead put your energy into focusing on J TODAY, Love him TODAY and when you look at him, see something other than a diagnosis because he is much more than that." Bradley has changed my outlook on this long road we are facing. I can say from the bottom of my heart, I don't know where we would be without him. He indeed makes the days to come bearable and the nights sleepable. Bradley is not just a nurse to us, he is family. He has rejoiced in J's victories big and small, comforted us when we were down, has held us when we cried, and has given us hope when we couldn't find any.