January 2023
Corbin P
Martin
,
BSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, CCRN
Pediatrics
Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
Roanoke
,
VA
United States
I felt a sense of calm with Corbin around. He kept the mood upbeat, even during her low times and scariest times. He remained professional. He listened attentively.
Back at the beginning of December 2022, my husband and I found ourselves in the PICU at RMH with our 3-week-old daughter with a diagnosis of RSV and respiratory distress. I am a nurse myself, in an adult ICU. Being a nurse myself never prepared me to watch my baby suffer with this diagnosis. While in the PICU we experienced many nurses that were phenomenal and aided in getting our sweet girl better and back home before Christmas. Corbin was a very special nurse to us while we stayed in the PICU for 7 days. He was an amazing nurse to our baby, but also to my husband and me. He didn’t let the fact that I am a healthcare professional change the care he provided or how he explained the care he was giving. He was thorough. He was extremely attentive. I felt a sense of calm with Corbin around. He kept the mood upbeat, even during her low times and scariest times. He remained professional. He listened attentively. He comforted me as a mother while my baby was being prepped for intubation. He listened to the things that would keep me at ease— like letting me see her as soon as she was intubated. It truly is the little things. He was an advocate for her, and for me. He was in tune with how hard she was working to breathe and I witnessed him question providers to ensure that my baby was receiving the best care. He advocated for my husband and me to have self-care. To shower. To eat. To sleep. To get a breath of fresh air. I could go on and on. He is someone that I will never ever forget. They say it takes a special person to be a nurse, but I believe it takes a special person to be a pediatric nurse. This has to be Corbin’s calling because he is phenomenal. We will never be able to thank him and the PICU team enough for the exceptional care we received.