Our wonderful Nurse Jess was by our side from the beginning to the end of our 120-day NICU stay. It didn't matter if she was assigned to C or not on any given day. She became the constant that we needed in what was an otherwise turbulent time. Jess is truly one of the most compassionate, positive, genuinely kind people we have ever met, all qualities that make for a perfect NICU nurse.

As you can imagine, having a baby born 15 weeks early at 25 weeks is terrifying. Life changes instantly and drastically. Jess was with us in the first couple of days after C arrived. She sat with us for hours, not only taking care of our son but taking care of us. We talked with Jess... A lot... About everything. She talked us through what was currently happening, what to expect in the future, and normal life things outside of the NICU. Whether she realized it or not, these conversations are often what got us through the day. This was especially true for my wife, who spent the majority of her day, every day for 4 months, sitting at C's bedside.

Being the spectacular person she is, Jess had an array of interesting things going on outside of her work. But this never stopped her from putting her patients and families first. We always felt like we were the top priority, even at times when she wasn't working! In fact, during C's NICU stay, Jess got married and even when off, continued checking on C on both her wedding day AND while she was on her honeymoon! She was one of C's biggest advocates and cheerleaders. Because she knew him so well, she was consistently proactive in working towards his next goals.

For example, sitting with him for a room air trial off CPAP. She believed in C just as much as we did. She also found ways to add a bit of "normalcy" to C’s day, such as getting him a stroller order so that they could take laps around the NICU or so he could sit with her while she charts! Jess made it possible for us to continue to live our lives outside of the NICU. When we had a wedding to attend, we weren't sure if we could choose to go to the wedding and not the hospital. But Jess encouraged us, gave us the reassurance we needed to attend, and proceeded to update us the whole day, keeping our minds at ease! It is hard to leave your child. But when Jess was around, we were able to leave knowing he was in the best hands and possibly enjoying extra-long cuddle sessions. We are all so incredibly thankful to have had Nurse Jess come into our lives when we needed her the most. She has since graduated to honorary “Aunt Jess” and we hope she will be in C's life for years to come!