My son was admitted into the STICU, and his overnight nurse was Grace. He fought sedation and kept waking up, terrified. She would hold his hand and help him calm down. She figured out he could write and had him do that to communicate. He requested his dad and me, and she came out and grabbed us. We were able to calm him and get him to sleep.

She didn’t leave our sides, and the comfort we got, knowing the love and care our son was receiving, was comforting. At 2:30 that night, he woke up again – this time writing a request for his girlfriend and me. He wrote on the paper, ‘They said I wouldn’t make’. I couldn’t make it out, so Grace read it and figured out that he meant ‘they said I wouldn’t make it’.

Grace asked who said that, and my son did a driving motion. Grace asked if it was the ambulance workers, and he said yes, tearing up. Grace grabbed his hand and bent down to be at his eye level and said, ‘When you came in, you were in really bad shape, but I promise that you are for sure going to make it. He cried, and so did I, but you could also see the fear leave him and a calm wash over him.

Our whole stay, he always slept better when Grace was working. If he woke up, she would just hold his hand and be with him, so he wasn’t scared. She was truly a blessing to our entire family!