Charlotte was my son's nurse last week while he was a patient in the PCICU. Having a child in the PCICU is a very scary time, but Charlotte's calm, friendly demeanor somehow kept me feeling calm, too. She is a skilled nurse, and did everything you would expect, but also went above and beyond for my son. He had shattering headaches; she constantly brought him bags of ice for his head because it was the only thing that helped. He couldn't eat much, but when he could, even a hospital meal was too much for him; Charlotte searched the unit and came back with granola bars for him. She thought about what kinds of foods he could eat and ordered them for him. She constantly brought him water and was so encouraging in trying to get him to drink. She constantly brought me water too. Whenever he was well enough to actually carry on a conversation, she chatted with him. The most meaningful thing she did, when he was a few days into his illness, was take him for a "walk." He hadn't been outside in days and Charlotte, along with one of the doctors, got him into a wheelchair, hooked him up to all of his monitors, and took him outside to the courtyard. She helped him walk around the courtyard, showed him the koi pond, and helped him finally see some sunshine after a long couple of days. On the way back to the unit, she took him to see one of the big Christmas trees in the atrium. These were not things she had to do, but they certainly meant a lot to my son and to us. She was kind. She was encouraging. And she was really good at her job. On the last night he spent in PCICU before he stepped down to another floor, I saw a "new grads" poster in the nurse's station at the PCICU, and I noticed her picture. I would NEVER have guessed that Charlotte was a new grad; she has the compassion, skill, and confidence that you would expect from a nurse who has been doing this for years. We can't thank her enough for the care she provided our boy, and we'll never forget her.