Jabari Harris, BSN, RN

My son was born with Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. He was in the hospital for six weeks after birth, and nothing was more impactful than the day that we walked into his room and Jabari was dressing our son in his first onesie.

This was five days after he was born, but he had only been swaddled in hospital blankets and a diaper in the days before. Our baby smelled so fresh, as Jabari had just given him, what we believe, was his first bath. The basin and baby wash were still beside the sink. This was around 8:30, so it was clear that Jabari came right into his night shift and started tending to our baby in ways beyond his health, including his hygiene.

Fast forward eight months, and our baby is back in the PICU to prepare for his corrective heart surgery. After three days in the PICU, our baby started becoming a little stinky. Because of all the cords and wires, we were hesitant to bathe him ourselves. On the third night of our son's stay, we walked into the PICU at around 7:30. Guess who our night nurse was? Jabari! And guess what he had prepared? A basin, a towel, and some baby wash.

It genuinely makes me want to tear up thinking about how something so little can mean so much. While baths should be expected, we understand that our nurses' main priority is to keep our baby healthy, not necessarily comfortable. I am just happy to say that Jabari considered both while caring for our son.

Thank you, Jabari!