Being a nurse involves so many expectations that it may be easy to confuse someone who's doing their job right versus someone who's doing an extraordinary job. Though we were exposed to many valuable nurses during our time, one nurse stood out the most, Kelsey. There were many moments when Kelsey stepped outside of the "expected" nurse role and provided specific, valuable, intentional, support.

A specific experience that stands out was her quick emotional reaction to my needs. Being a new mom I had many questions and fears, but mostly high moments of doubt. She took the time to pause her schedule and stood empathetically next to me, routinely discussing ways she's observed me being independent during my time in the hospital.

Above being extremely attentive to the details of my treatment, she also showed great attentiveness in my new role as a mother. Every visit she would give awareness to what I was doing well, encouraging my independence and minimizing my doubt. This spoke volumes to how she cared for me, but most importantly how much she cared for the wellbeing of our son, J.

Additionally, she uplifted my husband, reinforcing his new role. Until the last day she was working with us, I had no idea she had other patients, which just showed how individualized her care is. With the hectic lifestyle of being a new mom, this nomination has taken a while to get to, but there is not a week that goes by without us referencing or sharing Kelsey's kindness. The intentional support she provided our new family made us very grateful to have chosen Northwestern Medicine and eternally blessed to have had Kelsey as our nurse.