Our son was born twelve weeks premature with Long Gap Esophageal Atresia. We learned shortly after his birth that he would be staying at SickKids for an extended amount of time, likely many months. When he was around two weeks old, we met Hazel for the first time and I remember thinking how kind, compassionate, and personable she was. The months that followed only reaffirmed these original feelings.
For four months, my husband and I would wake up each morning and leave the Ronald McDonald house by 9 AM and stay in the NICU until 8 PM. I adored the nursing staff in the NICU, but it is very difficult to feel like parents and bond with your newborn child in an ICU setting. We had to leave our son nightly with sometimes strangers which felt so wrong; I was not the one feeding/changing his diapers, and during the days there was no private time with your own child. This is where Hazel's greatness came into play. I remember telling (well actually sobbing!) her that, "I have a 4-month-old child and I hardly feel like his mom!" I truly felt that as a mom, Hazel understood and wanted to help change the scenario we were in.
At this point, our son was stable, and my husband and I had learned how to work his feed pump, perform all his vitals and work his medical equipment. We had a great team of core nurses who kept us busy and learning. What Hazel did next is probably the most meaningful and important thing that anyone had ever done for me as mom and us as a family. She advocated getting our son out of the NICU and into a private room so that we could have the alone time with our son and as a family that we so badly longed for and needed.
Hazel worked so hard to prove that he was stable and that my husband and I were capable, willing, and able to provide the care he needed. Having a staff member like Hazel advocate on our behalf meant the world to us. She truly sees the value in family-centered care, and I give her so much credit for the bond that we share with my son today. I am sure many moms would think differently but waking up 3 times a night to soothe your baby never felt so right! Hazel was always there for us when we needed her, even after we left the NICU. For all of his additional surgeries, she would come by and check on us to make sure we were all ok. She would always offer a shoulder to cry on when I needed it, which was admittedly quite frequently.
When I think of all the amazing nursing staff we met along our 11-month hospital stay, Hazel truly stands out. She has top-notch nursing skills, she is kind caring and compassionate, she values the role that parents play in their child's care, and she has a huge heart. I could go on and on about how great she is. She sincerely deserves to be recognized for her contribution to families, Sick Kids, and the nursing community.