Quickel was nominated by a patient's mother, a former PIMCU nurse who had just welcomed a daughter with a cardiac defect. When her daughter went into surgery five days after birth, the baby's parents waited in the PICU room:
"We entered her room and there was her nurse, Katharine, already prepping her medications and preparing for her arrival. I immediately cried in gratitude: I had previously worked with Katharine, so I knew what good hands [our daughter] would be in when she returned from the OR."
Quickel's excellent narration of care comforted the parents and her calm presence reassured them that their daughter would be cared for. As the tiny patient's mother wrote:
"She exudes empathy, exceptional clinical skills, strong emotional support, and is a true role model to the profession of nursing."