jennifer riley, RN

When A seemed to be slipping away from us and hope seemed nearly gone, Jen Riley arrived like a special blessing; tender and tough enough to pull the most out of A. She spent all of two weekend nights working with him clearing the secretions from his mouth and throat that were making his breathing hard. After two solid days of screaming and heart rates in the 190-200, she crooned him to sleep and showed him how to answer with a hand movement. By the second night, she could get him to sit upright, with help, and cough out his own secretions. These may sound like small things but his first smiles and laughs since PICU were for Jen. He trusts her completely and will tolerate almost any procedure for her. Tonight, he reached out to hug her, the first such hug I've seen since the crisis. She is extraordinary in every way. I've spent a lot of time in hospitals and have never encountered a more devoted, talented healer.