I wanted to honor the nurse that cared for our son like her own, Julie Matthew. There is no possible way to share how Julie went above and beyond on a consistent basis, but I will try my best to highlight how she cared not only for our newborn son but also for us as his parents.
Our son was born with a litany of issues. A congenital diaphragmatic hernia, bowel perforation, and genetic disorder were some of the main health reasons our son needed the NICU. He had an ostomy bag and is still equipped with a ventilator and G tube. He was the sickest baby in the NICU at Texas Children's Hospital for over a month, stubbornly clinging to life. (The CDH diagnosis alone came with a 50/50 survival rate as a baseline, and his diagnosis was on the severe side.) Once we learned about primary nurses, we asked just about every day-shift nurse if they would primary him. And we couldn't find anyone available who wanted to primary. And I don't blame them. Our son was a very sick baby and required a lot of attention. However, Julie answered the call and agreed to be his primary without hesitation. And we thank God every day she did. Where a lot of nurses were intimidated by the challenge of our son, Julie welcomed it. All of the TCH nurses we had were fantastic, but Julie was something special.
Julie picked up extra shifts, worked overtime, and went above and beyond on educating us, his parents. She patiently answered every question we asked, offered sound advice when we were frustrated or concerned, and was always there with a shoulder to cry on (which was needed more than once with our journey). She advocated for our son on a constant basis and looked out for him. It was because of Julie's lobbying that he was able to stay in the NICU longer than be moved to the PICU. Our son required very particular care from medical staff familiar with him and he would not have received that in the PICU. I'm fairly certain we would still be in the PICU today if he was moved. She was always quick to notice when he wasn't acting like himself, and that led to us getting out in front of issues (like in the case of noticing his sluggishness that preceded an infection). While not directly caring for him, she was educating us on his cares and preparing us for life with him at home. Her shifts ended at 7:00 pm but she rarely left before 7:30 or later because she had been busy tutoring us or making sure our son was comfortable. She would hold and rock him without us even asking when my wife and I weren't able to be up at the NICU.
Julie was thorough not only in her care but in her teaching as well. Because of this, we were able to save our son's life. Our first night back at our house we were awoken to his de-sating, turning gray, and gasping for breath. Julie had taught us the steps of what to do in an emergency scenario, and we followed those until we discovered the root of the issue. In the nick of time, we discovered his trach was plugged with mucus and he wasn't getting any air. Julie had run through the steps with us so many times in case of an emergency, that my wife and I were able to correctly do them the first night back with him after being woken up in the middle of the night. After a time bagging him, we brought him back to a normal state.
Julie is a great nurse and an even better person. I feel like I fall short in showing my gratitude for everything she has done simply by nominating her for this award she most certainly deserves. We will never be able to pay her back for what she has done for our family, but I hope she will be considered for this honor from your organization. I could think of no one else more deserving. She continues to reach out to check on our son. And my wife and I are so thankful for our new lifelong friend.
***
My husband had emailed you regarding nominating Julie Mathew for the DAISY Award. I just wanted to emphasize what an amazing nurse Julie is, and how lucky we were for her to care for our son while we were in the NICU for many months. She always gave 110% every day at work. She would do the extra work to help our son's development - getting him out of the crib onto the mat, asking his PT/OT to come by, and learning his PT/OT exercises. Julie celebrated every milestone by making signs and posters for him. She even had all the doctors and nurses sign a book on his graduation day and gave it to us as a keepsake. She was compassionate and empathetic to me and my husband during the emotional journey in the NICU. I wish she would move to our state to continue caring for our son.