Lizzy was nominated by a family member. Read an excerpt from the nomination:

Coming into my hospital experience, I had only ever been the loved one as I watched my mom be treated by a rotation of nurses while she was incredibly sick. As a visitor, it always seemed like there was never enough time for the nurses who interacted with her to connect and really take care of her. With this, my expectations for my own experience as I was admitted for the birth of my son were quite low, but I soon learned I was wrong.

On the third day of my stay, my hope and focus were diminishing quickly. After struggling with my health and my induction not moving as we had wanted, our mindset and positivity were low. That morning, Lizzy walked in "ready to spin this baby right out." Her tenacity, passion, and excitement were contagious. She explained different positions to help the baby move, and was patient and thoughtful as I got into them. (Everyone says after giving birth you lose all your dignity, but Lizzy never made me feel anything less than normal as I bared all to try to reach the goal).

With her this day was a student nurse from CVTC. Lizzy was a fabulous leader and teacher, and the pair worked seamlessly together. After several hours of trying to get my baby to engage, we were still at a standstill. Eventually, we made the decision to move to a C-section. While things didn't go as we hoped, Lizzy continued to be a ray of sunshine and offered the absolute best service I could have hoped to have. When we made it into the operating room, Lizzy continued to sprint into action, and it felt like she was everywhere at the same time.

We experienced a few complications with me and the baby, leaving me alone while my husband went with the peds team and our son. Lizzy stayed focused and attentive as she helped me process all that was happening. I know that she had so many things she was doing, but I never felt as if my needs were missed or unwarranted. This was such a scary time, but having connected with the nurse taking care of you allowed me to not feel alone. I can say with the utmost certainty that I would not be able to look back on the memories of that day without severe trauma had it not been for Lizzy. She came in as a stranger, motivated me to keep trying, comforted me when things veered off course, and explained all of the medical events that were happening. She helped me stay positive and calm. She was a guardian angel at a moment when I didn't know I needed one.

The next day, we were blessed again when her face appeared in our postpartum room. Once again, she shared her passion and spirit with us. She helped get me out of bed and to the Special Care Unit so I could spend time with my son. She was patient with me when I realized I was doing too much too soon. She guided and reminded me that I was also healing. She was peace to me. Looking back, my birth and hospital experience would not have been anything I would want to remember, had it not been for the people whom I encountered along the way.

Lizzy shines brightly in the set of people who worked with us as someone who is a role model for others, builds connections with all, celebrates the good, and helps troubleshoot the bad. It is my hope that all other moms who have a tough time bringing their baby into the world will be blessed with a nurse like Lizzy to help them through the ups and downs. She has forever changed our lives and will always be a part of the story when we talk about bringing our son into our world.

Thank you, Lizzy, for the knowledge, spirit, love, and passion you bring to your patients and this profession!