Brooke Wightman
June 2021
Brooke
Wightman
,
RN, BSN
NICU
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Scottish Rite Hospital
Atlanta
,
GA
United States
Our son knew when Brooke was around, her voice and touch seemed to always comfort him.
This past year my wife and I experienced a part of life that thankfully a lot of families don’t go through. Our son was born at twenty-two weeks and six days. Not knowing what laid ahead of us we gave our son a chance. The NICU was a new and scary place in the hospital that was now part of our life. Our son was transported from our local hospital to The Children’s Hospital in Atlanta, an hour and a half away. During the first couple of months, only one parent was allowed to visit the bedside, due to COVID-19. Hotels and even the McDonald house were not an option during the beginning of our journey. Driving back and forth each day, taking turns at the bedside, and all the medical problems we faced were very stressful, draining, and heartbreaking.
Within the first couple of days, I remember walking in and meeting Brooke for the first time. It was not hard to notice the love and passion she had already gained for our son. She taught us a lot about the procedures and the way to care for such a delicate little boy. She was always positive even on the hardest of days and always found time to comfort us. Our son went through some very difficult times, but it didn’t matter. If this nurse was working, she was with him every step of the way and even with us as we went through our emotional times. Of course, nobody works every day, but she would always reach out through fellow nurses to check on him each day.
We had the pleasure of getting to know a lot of nurses, but this nurse stood out to us. Our son knew when Brooke was around, her voice and touch seemed to always comfort him. We have so many priceless memories of our son and honestly, this nurse is in most of them. We asked her to be there with us on his last day and without hesitation, she joined. We knew in our hearts that our son would appreciate her being there too. We are very grateful and blessed to have had such a wonderful person like this nurse to share these memories with. This nurse was a complete stranger that became family. We love her dearly.
Within the first couple of days, I remember walking in and meeting Brooke for the first time. It was not hard to notice the love and passion she had already gained for our son. She taught us a lot about the procedures and the way to care for such a delicate little boy. She was always positive even on the hardest of days and always found time to comfort us. Our son went through some very difficult times, but it didn’t matter. If this nurse was working, she was with him every step of the way and even with us as we went through our emotional times. Of course, nobody works every day, but she would always reach out through fellow nurses to check on him each day.
We had the pleasure of getting to know a lot of nurses, but this nurse stood out to us. Our son knew when Brooke was around, her voice and touch seemed to always comfort him. We have so many priceless memories of our son and honestly, this nurse is in most of them. We asked her to be there with us on his last day and without hesitation, she joined. We knew in our hearts that our son would appreciate her being there too. We are very grateful and blessed to have had such a wonderful person like this nurse to share these memories with. This nurse was a complete stranger that became family. We love her dearly.