I gave birth to a 1lb. 4oz. baby girl at 22 weeks 6 days gestation on Dec 18th, 2023. While my daughter was in the NICU, we met many wonderful doctors, nurses, and staff. I tirelessly went to the NICU to visit my baby, day after day, with a broken heart and a void in my chest. One day, I met Jayda, who was my daughter's nurse that day. To know her is to love her and be over by her. She went above and beyond her duties as a nurse and embraced my family of 6 during the hardest time of our lives.

Our baby was in the NICU for 143 days. For the majority of these days, Jayda helped my family heal with her caring, nurturing, and selfless ways. She balances her duties well and not only does her job, but also teaches all the families that she meets about their babies' conditions in a manner that makes you feel informed and empowered as a NICU parent. Not only did she help my baby, but she also helped me through very difficult moments. She held my hand while I received bad news, and we jumped for joy together when good news came. She became more than our nurse; she is our family. We will never forget her.