Our daughter was born with a diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome and has spent approximately four of her nine months of life recovering from heart surgeries and other procedures in the Mott PCTU.
Though I wish with all my heart that I didn't know this, I have learned throughout the past year that it takes a special person to commit to a career working in a pediatric intensive care unit. Our daughter arrived in October and boom! We were hit smack in the face with the reality that the PCTU would be our new temporary home. That is when I started to walk the halls with my head up, watching and learning that the PCTU is incredible. We learned quickly that we are our daughter's first voice, but her second, and perhaps more important is that of her daily assigned nurse. Because of all this, you better believe we made it our life's work to get to know the nurses as best we could as fast as possible.
Liana was my breath of fresh air, and she was the one who allowed me to let down my guard the most, whether it be to go and get a night's rest or just to relax for a few minutes. Not only did I bond with Liana because of our similar backgrounds and philosophies regarding care and life in general, Liana bonded with our daughter and cared for her with as much love and concern as she would her own.
Liana is kind to her patients, to her patients' families, and to her coworkers. The way Liana handled my daughter's hair of all things is a wonderful microcosm of her kindness. For all of the things G lacks, she hit the jackpot in the hair department. Her full shock of curly red hair, present even at birth, has always been the talk of the unit. I laughed the nights that I left the PCTU with Liana in charge, knowing that the next day when I arrived, G would look like Ronald McDonald; her hair shiny and clean from Liana's guaranteed full-scrub hair washing, and her curls loosened into straight-ish locks due to Liana's plentiful bedside head rubs throughout the night. As to her attention to the patients' families, Liana is incredible. Liana always asked about our 2- year old son and, throughout our stays, got to meet the rest of our family and regularly checked in on them as well. And as to her coworkers, I got a kick out of the fact that Liana is the source of food, snacks, and often a great post-shift breakfast date. Since our last discharge, my husband and I have been on a mission to recognize and commend each person who helped us during our hospital stays, and Liana has personally helped me identify dozens of last names of nurses, respiratory therapists, sanitation staff, and guards that work the PCTU entrance.
She is meticulous and has the distinction of being among the best-organized nurses I have witnessed. She plans the evening at the start of the shift, usually opting to get things settled as early as possible, leaving time for the inevitable bumps in the road that occur when working in an ICU.
Her love of family shows in her work, where she treats the PCTU team and those to whom she is assigned, with that same kind of love and concern. When our daughter was in-patient over Father's Day, Liana waited until we left for the evening and made a golf-themed card for my husband that included our daughter's five little green hand prints as grass at the base of the card. The nurses on subsequent nights regaled me with stories of our daughter's room was littered with paper attempts at handprint perfection and searches through the med cart to find just the right supplies to simulate a golf ball and a tee. Liana spent hours making an amazing card, and my husband will have those handprints forever.
Liana is a realist who hopes with the best of them. She is well aware that some children don't make it out of the PCTU as she has cared for these kids. At the same time, she believes in the power of prayer and the idea that all of these patients deserve a fair shot. She will fight alongside the best of them, taking their victories as her own and sharing sorrow in moments of defeat. Liana, whether she likes it or not, is stuck with my daughter for as long as she fights on, and I'm sure Liana would be the first to tell you that she hopes that fight lasts well beyond her lifetime.
I can't think of a better nurse or advocate for my daughter than Liana. One of the things I have learned in this past year, among so many, is that my daughter, and all of the family, can use all of the love and support that we can get. Liana Walla is one important piece of this support for my family, and especially for my daughter, and we are forever grateful for her exceptional care.