July 2026 Honoree
Janice Pappas, RN
Janice was a Godsend on our first night on the Pediatric floor. We had been stuck in the ER the first night after my 2-year-old son was diagnosed with pneumonia. It had been such a traumatic hospital stay for all of us so far, and my son was distraught every time someone came in the room because he knew they would be strangers trying to touch him and do stuff to him.
My son is normally the friendliest and most polite 2-year-old, but this experience broke him. All other providers we had seen ignored his screams and did what they came to do. Janice was different. She came in, and her first goal wasn't to do diagnostics or tests. Her first goal was to gain my son's trust. She sat with him and asked him questions about the toys he had, and she took the time to actually play with him. When it came to doing the actual tasks she had to do, my son was at ease.
She made him part of the process and explained everything she was doing to him in ways he understood. He completely trusted her.
My son is normally the friendliest and most polite 2-year-old, but this experience broke him. All other providers we had seen ignored his screams and did what they came to do. Janice was different. She came in, and her first goal wasn't to do diagnostics or tests. Her first goal was to gain my son's trust. She sat with him and asked him questions about the toys he had, and she took the time to actually play with him. When it came to doing the actual tasks she had to do, my son was at ease.
She made him part of the process and explained everything she was doing to him in ways he understood. He completely trusted her.
Thank you, Janice, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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