I came into the OBED for a second opinion when another hospital told me my baby had no heartbeat. It was verified that my baby had died, and I needed to be induced. I got admitted, and Katie was my nurse. From the start, she introduced herself and acknowledged the situation I was in, reassuring me that she would be with me all night for whatever I would need. She knew the answers to all of my questions regarding the delivery and postpartum process. She spent a good portion of her shift in my room, educating and comforting me. This was a huge shift from the nurses at the first hospital I went to, who made me feel like a burden. Katie asked me if I knew the gender and if I had any names picked out. She acknowledged my baby for who they were—a person.

When the doctor came in and explained the process of delivery, it was almost word-for-word what Katie had already described to me. Hearing the same information reiterated to me made me feel confident that the whole team was on the same page. I'm grateful that Katie was able to walk me through first, so I could think of any questions or concerns that I wanted to ask the doctor. Your baby dying is something that you never expect to happen to you. The amount of confusion and grief that you feel is such an out-of-body experience. Somehow, it was like Katie knew how to be there for me in the exact way I needed it. She managed to ground me and make this unbearable moment a little more bearable. I was emotional when it came time for Katie to give me to another nurse. Katie spoke very highly of all the nurses on staff and assured me that everybody would take good care of me, which they did. Katie was honest with me about everything that would happen, so I trusted her to hand me off to another nurse. I feel very strongly that Katie deserves this award. I am sure that taking care of patients in the same situation as I am is not easy for the nurses. And in some cases, I could tell the weight of my situation was affecting my nurse care, not negatively, but with an almost distant feeling toward the nurses. But not with Katie. She handled everything with such grace, compassion, and knowledge, never making me feel distant or like a burden. She is a light in this dark journey of mine, and I will always look back on this lowest point in my life and remember her as a fond memory.