Mary Whitson, BSN, RNC-NIC is a Clinical Supervisor in the Levine Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  Mary has been a nurse at Levine Children’s for almost thirty-five years.  She has cared for countless babies and families, many of whom come back each year to our unit or neonatal reunion to find Mary to say hello.  Mary’s commitment to her profession does not waver. On any given day, she is found rounding throughout the unit, checking on every nurse, ensuring they have what they need, and then touching base with each family.  She answers questions, asks how she can help, runs to get supplies, equipment, isolettes, anything!  Mary is known to be the helping hand and would not have it any other way.  

Although Mary makes sure that each of her shifts she is there for every nurse, therapist, and provider on staff, one of Mary’s greatest gifts is what she does for our families on her off-hours.  Every year, Mary organizes the Atrium Neonatal Butterfly Release, which honors all of the babies' lives that passed away at Levine Children’s Hospital and Carolinas Medical Center.  Last year marked the 20th anniversary of this event, and Mary has led this event for most of the years. Mary dedicates many hours to make this happen, many hours that most do not realize it takes.  She ensures every single family, not only from the current year, but from many years prior, receives an invitation to attend the event. She seeks out a variety of volunteers to make this special day possible.  These volunteers range from about fifty neonatal nurses who help set up and take-down chairs and tables and decorations. She also selects musicians, diverse families who come to speak, clinicians who share their personnel connections, floral arrangements, and she ensures butterflies are ready for all those in attendance to be released at the end. Mary even goes out of her way to make sure that special mementos are able to be signed from the teammates who cannot be present on the day of the event so families can feel their presence.  Over 200 people attend the annual event that is held at Frazier Park Children’s Walkway every Spring.  Families return year after year to take a few hours to remember their loss and hear stories from others. Families who have lost a baby, whether it is during their pregnancy, immediately following delivery, or during their NICU stay, know a journey that is foreign to so many. They grieve in a way that others cannot connect with, and this loss does not go away. Families have shared with me that this day is how they bond with others and realize they are not alone.  They can take their loss and see that there is someone else out there. It is not a group that anyone ever wants to be a part of, but they are grateful they now have others to share their sadness with.  On this day, they are able to share, mourn, cry, laugh, reunite, and take one more step forward on their journey; Mary makes this happen.  It is a difficult day but one that impacts so many. Without Mary taking this on each year, I know it would not be the same. 

Mary has made a profound difference on so many lives for so many years and is overly deserving of the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award.