kristy nickelson, RN

When a mother received news that there was a high chance that doctors could do little to help her infant, it was more than she could bear. Kristy Nickelson, RN, a neonatal intensive care nurse, sat and prayed with the mother and her child. Kristy checked on the woman and her husband several times while their baby was in surgery, and fulfilled her promise to stay by the infant's side the entire night.

"Her compassion and care was amazing," the mother wrote. "That night, she was more than just his nurse.' She treated us like family. That meant so much to us."