I have been a nurse for 20 plus years and was recently faced with being on the opposite end of the bed with my 5-year-old son. On Friday morning I arrived home after 3 overnight shifts in a row. I brought my children to my local recreation camp so that I could get a few hours of sleep. It's wasn't long before my head hit the pillow that I received a frantic call from my 10 year old daughter, urging me to get back to the rec camp as it was apparent that her 5 year old brother had fractured his arm. I rushed out of bed in sheer delirium, arrived back at Rec camp where I was met by local police officers who assured me that an ambulance was on the way. I ran up to my youngest son and immediately recognized how badly his arm was fractured. He was in shock, but handled the situation as bravely as he could. The nurse in me wanted to get to the hospital as quickly as possible, but the mom in me wanted to cry my eyes out for my little guy. The ambulance arrived within minutes and we were safely transported to Riverview Medical Center Emergency Department where we were placed in the caring hands of Lindsay Louis, RN.

Lindsay helped to expedite our admission process and got us settled in where she began to monitor my son and explain to both me and my husband what to expect. I realized how lucky I have been in the 10 years of having children of my own to have never needed hospital services. I have always been the one providing reassurance, education, compassion, and empathy to my patients and their families, but now, here I was the one on the receiving end in very unfamiliar territory.

The gratitude I have for Lindsay in the way she kept us informed while performing tasks and keeping my little boy calm is unmeasurable. Lindsay is not only a one-of-a-kind nurse but a one-of-a-kind human being! I say this because she went above and beyond when she realized that my son had a love for sharks. She saw this young little boy braving his way through his first fracture, first IV, first hospital visit, first time with many unfamiliar faces and wanted to ease his pain in anyway she could. She said, "Hey buddy, I have something special for you, you just keep being brave and I'm going to run to my car and get it for you." Lindsay went out of her way to go to her vehicle where she had fossilized shark teeth that she had found. She came back and presented the shark teeth to my son and gifted them to him. He carries those shark teeth around proudly with him every day and tells anyone who will listen about his adventures in the ER where he met a nurse who "knows sharks". (LOL)

Lindsay, we can't thank you enough for easing our fears that day in the ER, for providing us with amazing care with a personal human touch. We are so grateful to have met you and implore you to continue doing such amazing things for those you care for.