Our son was one day from being five months old when he was life-flighted to Riley after a sudden and unexplained cardiac arrest. Our family spent two days at Riley before making the selfless but excruciating decision to pull our son off life support after the damage his brain endured from being deceased for 20 or more minutes. Brittany was our nurse that day. That day was the day our family gathered with our pastor and the critical care team and had to make the decision whether to continue extreme lifesaving measures or allow him to pass in peace. His quality of life is very important to us and we made that known from the beginning. We knew his life would consist of much suffering and after so much prayer we made the decision to spend the day with our perfect baby boy and give him back to heaven.

Brittany cried tears with us, she loved him and our family on his last day earthside. She helped my husband and I give our son his last bath, and she stayed next to me as I held him for three hours as he passed in my arms. She made sure he was in no pain. She rallied around my husband and me and our family and showed the utmost passion and empathy to us. She was supposed to get off at 7 pm, but she stayed over to be with us. She stayed over with my baby's body waiting for transport. She hugged me so tight with tears in her eyes. She ran to my side as I screamed a mother's worst scream as my son took his last breath. I felt her come behind me and put her arm around me as my world stood still in that moment. She became a part of our family that day.

Since our son has passed, I reached out to her personally and she shared with me how much he has impacted her and how much she thinks about him and us every day. She is an angel in human form, I am convinced of it. There is no one else I could have imagined taking care of us and our son that day. She was heaven-sent. The truest compassion for families and passion for her job magnifies from her. Her smile and soft-spoken voice have a comfort that is special and absolutely necessary in nursing, especially in pediatrics.

I am in nursing myself and strive to be like her with my own patients. Brittany is a blessing to Riley and all patients that walk through the doors of the PICU. Her presence feels safe, it has a calm and motherly effect on all those around her. She will forever have a special place in my heart, she became a warrior for me as I endured the worst tragedy a mother can endure, that day a big part of me died too. She showed my son unconditional love and care on his last day on earth. If anyone is deserving of such an award, it is her. We need more like her in this field.