First of all, I would like to thank each person on the nursing staff in PICU Department. But a special word can be given to a special person. Maria Angela was the first person to be nominated for the PICU nursing team. Being an active member, a hard worker, and a smart person as well. Her role started with the careful selection of the PICU nursing team and dealt with them very professionally as a Head nurse. She achieved the difficult equation of being a leader and at the same time a trustworthy person, someone you can really count on at bedside skills. She dealt professionally and intuitively in difficult situations. All of this is presented with utmost literature and good manners.

All our colleagues owe her respect and trust. Maria Angela is like a mother to our pediatric patients with special needs. Being in a long-term facility, our patients stay in the hospital most of their lives (unless we say their whole life), so we play the role of a second family for them. Ma’am Angela, next to her work as a professional, strict head nurse, played the role of a Godmother for our pediatric patients, especially those with a sufficient degree of awareness to see and feel her kind care.

I will make a special mention of the soul of our patient M, a 1-year-old boy who has developmentally delayed (among other diagnoses) upon admission. He was psychologically attached to his previous sitter but hospital policy did not allow her to stay inside the area. Angela took care of M personally but in a professional way, she was playing the role of a caring mother. M got attached to her so remarkably, that we even called him Angel’s son. This helped him to be more socially active. He interacted and responded with his caregivers; he was able to communicate his needs and responses through different cues. This in turn helped us in understanding further the care that we needed to provide him.

He displayed physical, emotional and to some degree, cognitive progress over two years, (although slow), which can already be remarkable given his condition. Angela was dealing with him with the heart of a mother and the brain of a professional nurse, especially when his health deteriorated. It is worth noting that, about 10 days before his clinical status deteriorated, she noticed that M was refusing to eat from her “hands” (oral feeding by spoon) as he liked before; (that perhaps) he was preparing her psychologically for separation. It is just amazing that a developmentally delayed child was able to display empathy. When M died, his father came and gave thanks and condolences and said, "We were the real family of his son.” We appreciate your work, Nurse Angela, Thank you!