Our son was born at 26 weeks with significant odds stacked against him being born with an E coli infection, brain bleeds, and hydrocephalus, which led to him being transferred to Phoenix Children's at some point. To add to our struggles, my mother was also fighting a losing battle with pancreatic cancer on the opposite side of the country, and since M's (mother) family lived on the opposite side of the world in Singapore, we had no family support at all. This is where several nurses, but in particular Emily stepped in and filled that void at some of our most vulnerable times. Emily was there from the very first days of our son's life, and we quickly chose her to be our primary nurse due to her ability to remain honest about the situation, yet she was hopeful in highlighting how much of a fighter he was. At times, she was our son's biggest advocate when we were not able to be there, and we were always at ease when we knew she was caring for him. She knew him so well, and if something was off, she was the first to notice and make sure whatever needed to be done was done.

Throughout our stay before moving to PCH, Emily was there for some of the toughest moments of our lives. From getting through the e coli infection in the early days, receiving the news about the IVH, our son's baptism and the night he had to be transferred due to the hydrocephalus requiring higher care. In those times, she was an amazing pillar of support and went above and beyond to do whatever she could for us and our son. Sometimes, it's hard to believe that we were only there for a month because, at the time, every day felt like an eternity, but in that time, our small family definitely developed a bond with Emily that made her feel like family. To us, that's about as meaningful of a difference a nurse can hope to achieve. We would love for Emily to be selected for this award, as she has earned it with her skill and dedication to the babies and families at the NICU.