crystal aiken, RN, BSN

My daughter, a pediatric oncology patient, had an unexpected trip to the ER due
to fever and flu. Even though we would not have initially been Crystal's patient she willingly took us on because we had requested a nurse with experience accessing ports.

Crystal exemplified gentle, kind and compassionate care. She went out of her way to find saline that my daughter was better able to tolerate because the pre-mixed saline makes her very ill. Crystal willingly stayed past her normal shift to care for her to help ensure that she was as well cared for and comfortable that she could be at a time when she felt really sick and miserable.

For a child being treated with cancer and her mom, Crystal's willingness to go above and beyond what she had to and the "normal standard of care" blessed us tremendously. We were thankful for her quick and out-of-the-box thinking regarding the saline which, although posing a bit of time and inconvenience offered her patient a much higher level of comfort. It was clear in her treatment that Crystal saw her both as a person and an individual. She felt heard, safe and valued. This meant the world to us and we were so very thankful.