cheryl hernandez, BSN, RN

Cheryl provided the most outstanding care to my 23-year old daughter during her hospital stay for a serious illness. My daughter was intubated and in ICU for 60 days. During this pandemic, it was hard for us to be with her, but one nurse stood out and we felt she went above and beyond. She would stay in the room for hours when she was scared and just talk to her. She would rub her forehead and reassure her that everything would be OK. Cheryl would also FaceTime me so that my youngest daughter could see her too. Even though my daughter couldn't speak, it helped her to hear our voices. This nurse came to the unit where my daughter had been transferred just to say good-bye. She was on her lunch break but took the time to visit. She noticed that I was struggling to get my daughter ready to go home so she helped me feed, bathe, and dress my daughter for discharge. She did all this on her lunch break. I am grateful to the Baystate ICU team and especially Cheryl Hernandez for saving my daughter's life. I am blessed to say that after a total of 67 days at Baystate and 11 days in rehab, my daughter is finally home, still recovering but getting stronger every day.