Linda Cox has diligently cared for the patients and their families who have passed through the doors of Neonatal Intensive Nursery. Over the span of a thirty-eight-year career in nursing, she has tirelessly educated mothers on the importance of breastfeeding, how to care for a premature infant, and infant safety.
She uses her resources to give breastfeeding moms "gift bags" as a reminder for them to continue to breastfeed. More importantly, it is a simple act of compassion and the smile it has brought many mothers is priceless.
Linda serves children on a global scale through her annual Shoe Box Drive. It is amazing and unbelievable what she can do with an old shoe box and seven dollars. During the holidays, these boxes are sent to children around the world to bring them joy.
She has garnered the respect of physicians and peers with extensive years of knowledge, kindness, and adaptability to the ever-changing world of healthcare. She is one of the original nurses who helped to start the NICU. Oftentimes the patients will come back to visit the NICU and she will tell them about their journey in the NICU.
Celtic legend says that "Whenever an infant dies, God sprinkles daisies over the earth to cheer parents up" and Linda has an uncanny way of finding a rainbow in the darkest of moments.
Recently, there was a family in the unit, and the mother was a NICU nurse at another local hospital and she said that "after speaking with Linda about the care plan for her baby, she felt at ease with having to leave him in the unit."
Linda has been with Dekalb through the good years, the lean years, and it has always been her fervent belief that it was her job. On the contrary, she has been a DAISY that someone needed in the time of joy and sorrow.