Katie was our first nurse who stayed with us and our son overnight as he crashed from HlNl flu-induced Septic Shock. Upon being admitted to the PICU, we struggled to comprehend how severe his condition was. My husband and I agreed that I would go home to get some sleep after a few nights of none. Katie stayed by my son's side and kept my husband engaged and informed.
As things continued to go downhill and his condition worsened, it was Katie who repeatedly looked for ways to convey the severity of his condition, while still being as caring and gentle as possible to not freak out my already-stressed husband. Her persistence finally got through which triggered him to call me back as our little man continued to fight at the lowest end of his body's ability. Katie demonstrated compassion, persistence and great attention to detail while the physicians, specialists, and the entire team was on top of every single test, every single shift in medication and condition change.
Katie managed all of this while also comforting us and keeping us informed and also as distracted as possible. She gave us someone to talk to, allowing our son to hear our calm voices as he lay in varying degrees of sedation. Throughout what was the worst night of our lives (through the debate/preparation for ECMO, the visits by the cardiologists, the scans, the tests, the lines, the constant shifts of medications), Katie was there calmly managing a million details with the confidence that helped us feel at ease. While subtle, she was an amazing blessing bestowed upon our family at our greatest moment of need. We will be forever grateful for how she navigated us through this ordeal. We looked forward to each shift that we found she would return to us! Thank you, Katie!