My son, a 14-yr-old oncology patient, was admitted to CHOC in March due to early onset of pneumonia but his condition declined very fast. Four days later, he was transferred to the PICU due to requiring high flow oxygen. Once my son was transferred I couldn’t leave his side even though I had 4 younger children at home. Two days later, my son had to be placed on a ventilator due to developing ARDS and his condition was worsening.

I had many sleepless nights and mom guilt building up from not having the heart to leave my son to see my daughters at home. I had some unpleasant experiences during our stay, contributing to my decision not to step away from my son. 10 days after admission, we were assigned to nurse Jennie and from the moment she entered the room and started to care for my son I knew that she was going to get us through the day.

The way she cared for my son was so heartwarming. From the simple act of repositioning him in bed, she made him look so comfortable. Even though my son was completely sedated she always spoke to him and described what she was going to be doing. She was genuinely so gentle and kind. She treated my son as if he could be family. She always took the time to answer my questions and made sure I was okay. She made me feel like I mattered in his care. I felt so much relief knowing the she would be our nurse the following morning. It had been more than a week since I had seen my daughter’s and since Jennie was my son’s nurse that day; I felt so comfortable with the decision to step away for a few hours to go home. I knew that I didn’t have to be in the room for her to continue treating my son the same way as if I was there. She was my God-sent angel that I needed during such a hard time.

Nurse Jennie will forever hold a special place in my heart, she is such an amazing nurse, but most importantly an amazing person! She deserves a whole DAISY garden and that wouldn’t be enough to show how appreciative I am of the way she cared for my son. My son of course doesn’t remember everything that happened during his stay in the PICU but I always talk about nurse Jennie and how she brought me so much comfort when she cared for him and thanks to her I was able to go home and see his sisters.