John Hernandez, RN

We were in the PICU for 3 weeks, and I would say that the first night we were there was the scariest night of our lives as parents. John was our nurse the first two nights. Those nights were the hardest. So much was unknown, and so many thoughts raced through my and my husband's heads. We took turns sleeping because we didn't know what else to do. I don't remember if it was the first night or the second, but I couldn't sleep. I had a million questions, and I felt silly for asking them, but John answered them all. Every single one of them. He even broke down what the tests meant and showed me how D's numbers were improving, even after 24 hours. He encouraged and reassured us that all the questions were good questions. He made us feel purposeful as parents in a helpless situation. He talked about sports with my husband, who is a rodeo guy, and John is a basketball guy; they had zero in common, but John was able to be such a comfort to Lane during those sleepless hours and ease his mind with simple conversation. He was more than a nurse to D those first nights; he was a caretaker to all of us. He was reassuring and soft-spoken. In the darkest nights of our lives, he was a very bright light.