We'd been in the PICU for two weeks trying to manage my 10-month-old daughter's hypoglycemia when we met Katie.  
 
We'd been struggling with poor appetite, and although my daughter was playful and happy when her blood sugar was under control, she was sleeping poorly due to constant checks and visits, and we were putting a lot of pressure on her around feeding.  
 
We kept thinking we were about to go home, and then going backward on our daughter's sugar levels, and we had settled into a routine that was more oriented around the rhythm of the hospital than our daughter's needs. 
 
Every nurse we had during our time in the PICU was excellent, but Katie was really special. She noticed that we were struggling as parents and took the time to really listen to us and help us troubleshoot our daughter's whole experience at the hospital.  
 
She worked with our providers to reduce the frequency of some less important checks overnight to help our daughter get some rest, and talked us through strategies for timing feedings and reducing the pressure on our daughter around meals. 
 
Our day with Ekaterina was honestly one of the tougher ones during our stay, with a few surprising blood sugar lows that required urgent treatment and an unexpected move of rooms, but we still ended the day feeling hopeful and reengaged as parents, and more informed and empowered about our options for communicating with our medical team.  

She did an excellent job caring for our child, and she also connected with us as parents and helped us break out of survival mode, which has stayed with us even as we transferred to another hospital for more care for our child.