I would like to thank my nurse, Brooke, from the OB unit. Brooke is a nurse that I'm confident I will never forget. She truly stood out to us. My fiance and I have worked with many nurses over the past several years, and we've hardly witnessed the level of skill and compassion that Brooke displayed. If anyone deserves the DAISY Award, it's her. I delivered my son, "B," in December. This was my firstborn baby, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The night I arrived at Aurora, I got induced. Things seemed normal as I progressed in labor. Brooke began her shift the following morning, and I had the pleasure of being her patient during the last two days of my hospital stay. She introduced herself and immediately jumped into taking care of me. I never had to call for her because she stopped to check on me so frequently. She accommodated all of my needs and made me feel comfortable during a very vulnerable time. Around noon, I was preparing to deliver. Brooke reassured me, encouraged me, and coached me through every step. I got through a few pushes and could tell something was wrong. My doctor asked me to stop pushing, and I watched everyone rush to get things ready sooner than anticipated. I pushed one more time, and my baby forcefully twisted and came out face-down. The doctor informed me that I had a placental abruption. My fiance cut the umbilical cord, and they handed me my baby. Brooke began stimulating him. He was completely limp and blue. His pulse was weak, and he wasn't breathing. She grabbed him from my chest and began resuscitating him. He had a 1 minute APGAR score of 1. After a few minutes, she left the room with my fiance and baby to move to the nursery. I still hadn't heard him cry. I was left with my doctor and nurse. I was in shock, scared, and losing a lot of blood. At that point, all I wanted to know was whether or not my son was alive. In the nursery, Brooke ventilated and worked on resuscitating him for another few minutes. My fiance finally got to hear his little cry after a total of about 10 minutes. After that, he was hypothermic and needed to be warmed. Brooke saved my baby's life. Waiting to hear the news felt like a lifetime, but my fiance came back a while later to tell me that my son made it. I was so relieved! Brooke brought him back to me after he warmed up. She continued checking in and taking care of us throughout that day and the next. She helped care for "B," walked me through important paperwork, taught me how to breastfeed, helped me to the bathroom, made sure I wasn't in too much pain, and the list goes on. After "B" was circumcised, Brooke showed us how to properly change and clean him. She gave him his first bath and demonstrated the process for my fiance and I. Thanks to her, I felt confident, and all of my questions were answered. When it was time for us to leave, Brooke helped us pack our belongings and double-check the room. She even walked us out and carried some of our stuff to the vehicle. She took extra steps that she didn't need to. She truly went above and beyond up until the very end. When we got back from the hospital, I looked around at all the baby stuff set up and imagined what it would have been like returning home without my little boy. Thanks to Brooke's proficiency and knowledge, that wasn't the case. I often look at my now happy, healthy baby and think of Brooke. I thank her in my mind every single day. Not only did she go above and beyond to make me comfortable and explain/demonstrate things, but she's also the reason I get to be a mother. She's the reason my baby boy is alive today. Words can't describe how grateful I am for Brooke or how deserving she is of this award.