Cheri Monaghan has been with the organization for almost 14 years. She has a passion for the neonatal population and goes above and beyond for her primary patients. She is a member of the NICU Developmental Care and Advocacy Team (DCAT). The DCAT team provides education on developmental care for the delicate NICU patients and helps to advocate for their needs. She also participates in the NICU QI meetings and is a hand hygiene champion.
Cheri cares for each of the babies as if they were her own and is very committed to providing the best and safest care to the patients in the NICU. She is in school working toward her Neonatal Nurse Practitioner degree and balancing her education with working full time. Cheri enjoys sharing her knowledge with others and we are lucky to have her on the NICU team.
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Our grandson was born four months premature and weighing just 1 pound, 7 ounces. Shortly after birth he was abandoned by his mother, who was addicted to heroin. He began his life with about 20% breathing capacity due to his premature birth, and he had two large protruding hernias. The hospital we were at was not able to perform the extensive surgery he needed, so he was transferred to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
During his hernia operation, the surgeon discovered a large amount of unusual cloudy fluid in the abdominal area. She didn't perform surgery on his left hernia since the surgery on his right hernia was too extensive, and she didn't want to create complications. On the day of his hernia surgery, they performed a Tracheostomy, which enabled him to breathe. He had Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, which damaged his lungs and airways and put a significant strain on his heart. Without a Tracheostomy, his life would have ended a lot sooner than it did.
As days went by, numerous tests were conducted to locate the source of the fluid in his abdomen and stomach, which had swelled to over 57 centimeters and caused his stomach to be hard and distended. Doctors inserted a drainage tube to alleviate the buildup of fluid, however, the fluid kept increasing, and his stomach continued to expand, causing an extreme amount of distress for him. After extensively searching for answers, doctors discovered he had a Lymphatic Malformation, which produced unexplained fluid leakage from multiple areas into his stomach and abdomen.
Doctors tried various injections in his abdominal area and informed us that if these injections did not stop the leakage, there would be nothing further they could do. Continuous pain medication was injected through his feeding tube, he wore a pain patch, and morphine drops were placed under his tongue. Blood thinner injections were given to address the blood clots in his stomach and leg.
Continuous round-the-clock care was given to him to assist in keeping him calm and as pain-free as possible, which now leads this heartbreaking story to a truly kind and professional angel of mercy.
Cheri Monaghan requested to be his nurse as soon as he entered the NICU in June and treated him like her own baby. An attachment developed between Cheri and M, which was evident every time we visited him at the hospital. She kissed and held him whenever possible, while tending to his needs, and was always telling him how much she loved him.
He needed extensive and continuous care, but Cheri made every day seem like a new beginning. Months and months went by with no improvement in his condition, but Cheri remained positive and cheerful, smiling and talking to him at his bedside every available moment. It brought tears to our eyes when we would enter his room and see Cheri holding and gently rocking him.
When the unbelievably painful decision was made to end life support, Cheri assumed multiple duties and made certain he was as pain-free as possible. Cheri was an amazing grief counselor for me and my wife and provided us with a consoling shoulder to cry on. She knew how heartbroken we were, and she comforted us through every step.
Knowing his passing would be very soon, Cheri took it upon herself to measure him and provide his proportions to a great non-profit group, "Sweet Send Aways." They design and sew angel outfits and blankets, using donated wedding dresses for babies and children who never make it home from the hospital. Cheri also made plaster footprints on her own time, along with printing his fingerprints and providing us with photos of him as a remembrance of our grandson.
He passed away in October in the arms of my wife and myself. As tears rolled down from our eyes, so did Cheri's, who was right by our side - on her day off. Her love for him was just so incredible.
Cheri is truly much more than a highly qualified NICU nurse. She is a role model that God would want everyone to aspire to. From the bottom of our hearts, we are thankful for people like Cheri. The same love and affection she provided our grandson, we have for her. She will always be fondly remembered and appreciated for her selfless and compassionate heart.