Our daughter, R, was born at 25 weeks gestation and weighed just two pounds at birth. It had been a dramatic series of events for both the baby and myself, and my husband and I were left with our heads spinning— a constant cycle of excitement, fear, confusion, gratefulness, and devastation. This was not the story we had envisioned for our family, and we were acutely aware of the potentially heartbreaking ending that could come with a baby born so early.  

One thing we both agreed on, however, was how grateful we were to be in the care of the Riley staff. There wasn’t a single day when we felt like we weren’t receiving the best care possible.  

From the beginning, one nurse stood out to us. Kendal Williams was originally on the night shift when R was born and, in fact, was one of the nurses who welcomed her into the NICU the night of her birth. She later told me about my husband’s face upon seeing his daughter for the first time, and I was so touched that she had the wherewithal to even notice him, let alone register his emotions in such a critical medical moment.  

From that moment on, Kendal made it her mission to make sure that our family was cared for. R was her patient, but in a way, so were we. Even though we were rarely able to visit the NICU at night, Kendal was always a friendly voice on the other end of the phone when I called before bed to check in. It truly made me rest easier when I knew that R was in Kendal’s care for the night.  

Eventually, Kendal moved to days and we got to meet her in person. The professionalism, knowledge, and compassion we felt on those evening calls were even more evident face-to-face. The days when R was in Kendal’s care were some of our most exciting and helpful days of our stay.  

I think it’s easy for some health professionals to forget that the terms and jargon they hear and use day in and day out are often a foreign language of sorts to a new NICU parent. That, compounded with the intimidating nature of the endless amounts of tests, machines, tubes, medicines, etc., that we are met with every day, and the NICU can be downright overwhelming. This is where Kendal sets herself apart. As an educator, I recognized in her the quality that I had seen in some of the best teachers I have ever worked with. Kendal has a unique skill of being able to understand a complex medical situation thoroughly as a healthcare provider but explain it in a way that is comprehensible and less intimidating to a parent. She took the time to clarify each and every doctors’ round with me after the doctors had left. If I had questions, she was patient and explained the answer as many times as needed. She was direct, and never sugarcoated, but still managed to be comforting even when delivering news that was potentially difficult to hear.  

Kendal was also an excellent advocate for R. Several times, she put her neck on the line to have hard conversations with doctors because she felt passionate about R’s care. The best part was that they almost always ended up agreeing with her, because Kendal knows her patients so well. Once, specifically, we were disappointed when one of the doctors had decided not to wean one of R’s settings despite the original plan to do so. We were nearing the end of our time at Riley, and this change potentially added days or even weeks to our stay. Kendal wasn’t at work that day, but on the day she returned, she challenged the doctors and told them that R deserved a chance to fight. It was the most true thing I had heard my entire time there, and I think I will always remember those words as I parent R as she grows. Her path may look different than others, but she always deserves the chance to fight! 

Even though she is already one of the most knowledgeable nurses I have met, Kendal is constantly working to learn more, particularly when it comes to the human aspect of her job. Kendal hasn’t started her own family yet (in fact she is almost young enough to be my own daughter), but she seems to understand what it means to be a parent more than a lot of actual parents that I know. Kendal always asked me how I felt about situations and experiences. When I shared my fears, she listened not just politely but intently. It was evident that she wanted to understand the experience of a NICU parent as much as possible, so she soaked up every interaction with her patients’ parents that she could. Kendal frequently mentioned articles or books that she had read about the experience of NICU parents and told me many times in passing about something she had read that had shaped and/or changed her patient care approach. It reminded me of a quote I had hanging in my own classroom, ironically enough, alongside a picture of a daisy. It says, “When you stop learning, you stop growing.” It is evident to me that Kendal Williams has no intention of ever stopping learning or growing as a NICU nurse.  

Without Kendal, I’m not sure where our daughter or our family would be today, but I am confident in my belief that we are thriving because we had the privilege of being in her care.