My son is a medically complex child. He has been a patient since birth when he was born in the SDU. He has had many procedures and surgeries with CHOP, and because of this, he has developed severe trauma and has a phobia of anyone in scrubs (nurses, doctors). My child is incredibly smart and stubborn, and that doesn't help with his nurse and staff phobia. When we are admitted, the most stressful thing for me is dealing with his trauma and defiance toward hospital staff (you'd think it would be the brain surgery, but nope).

My child isn't mean; his behavior is from being through more traumatic things in his five years than what most adults experience in a lifetime. Emily must carry some magic because I'm not sure how she was able to connect with my son, but somehow, she reached him. She disclosed to us that she, too, was a patient of the Neurosurgery Department connected to this hospital as a child, with some of the same doctors still practicing here. She is now a nurse here. She wears a cool brain clip on her employee badge, and that is just so encouraging to me as a Mom with a child with a brain disease. I swear, there must be some Neurosurgery heart-to-heart connection because my son just attached to her. We went for walks, and she spent time talking to him. Amazingly, he started to trust her, and that trust started to unfold with the other nurses here after his time with her. The amazing thing is that my son isn't old enough to know Emily's history with this hospital, but supernatural things happen sometimes, and they just had an incredible connection. She was patient and compassionate and just a heck of a lot of fun for my five-year-old. He wasn't terrified of the vitals and new people in the room after her. My stay has been pleasant, and my five-year-old is happy. I truly believe it was from Emily's connection with him.

Emily deserves the absolute best and highest award possible for being that person to break through my son's walls and let him trust medical professionals again. (I have not been able to do it, and I'm a therapist!) Thank you, Emily, for your time and compassion and for being that person for my son whom he chose to open up to and trust. I will never forget the connection you two had. Thank you for your personal testimony, which brings so much hope to other Neurosurg families.