My son is 4 years old and autistic. He was in the PICU for an interesting case, where only at night he truly needed to be monitored and cared for due to a severe obstructive sleep apnea. During the day, he didn't need much, so he craved being a child and roaming. Because of being admitted to the PICU, he had to be on monitors and stuck in his room.

During a rare trip where he could walk around the unit, he ran into Jisha again (who was his nurse the previous shift) and right into her arms! For him to want to hug another person is truly meaningful in itself, but during this trip, my son wanted to leave the unit and couldn't. Jisha helped calm him down with Mickey Mouse, vanilla pudding, and hugs to get him to happily return to his room. During his care, she would play the Mickey Mouse song over and over, never once seeming annoyed that he wanted to hear that song a million times. She helped talk him through all his care and truly helped make this stay as comfortable as possible. She always had a smile, no matter what we needed or how busy she was. My son was very confused about why he was here, but anytime he saw Jisha, he forgot his worries and was excited! I hope that if my son has to remember any part of this hospital stay, he remembers Jisha and how kind she was and how much she tried to get on his level.