This is my first time as a mom with a baby in the NICU. I ended up with a C-section and I was only 32 weeks pregnant. The doctors and nurses have all been wonderful, but the situation has been horrendous for me. I have been an absolute wreck! I can’t stop crying, and I don’t eat or sleep. 

Jeannie is one of many incredible nurses for my daughter in the NICU. Jeannie also told me she was there for me as much as she was for my daughter, and I could cry, kick, and scream anytime I needed to. Jeannie is a former NICU mom herself and understood what I was going through and was able to empathize on a deeper level with me. Jeannie took so much care of my mental health. She spent her lunch break eating with me, because I hadn’t eaten or seen the outside of this hospital room in seven days. She made sure she opened the curtains and let in sunlight. She sat with me and literally held me while I cried on more than one occasion. She made sure I had access to the healing gardens and terraces of the hospital so I could get fresh air if needed. She reassured me about the importance of taking care of myself. After learning that my washer and dryer had broken a few days prior to my delivery, she took my clothes home with her, washed them, and returned them to me cleaned. She also would offer to stop at the store for me and bought me a stand for my phone so I could watch movies and not have to hold my phone up all day. 

She is by far one of the nicest, most empathetic nurses I have ever known. I could not be more grateful, and I could not think of anyone more deserving than her for this award. She is an incredible nurse and an incredible human being. This will never leave my memories, and she will be at the center of the stories I tell my daughter when we finally leave here.