I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary human and nurse that is Merrill Hull. Merrill is an RN at HDVCH in the NICU and she recently cared for my cousin's very premature and sick daughters.
I am a labor and delivery nurse with 9 years of experience, so when I found out my cousin was pregnant with twin girls after years of fertility struggles and many devastating losses, I had many questions. First and foremost, I wanted to know where she was going to deliver. I live in Wisconsin, so I was not going to be able to care for her, which was incredibly stressful. My cousin gave me all the data she could and answered all my questions about her pregnancy, which was complicated in many ways and resulted in her being admitted for several weeks for frequent monitoring of the twins.
When we knew she was going to have the babies early due to problems with growth and blood flow, I reached out to my dear friend Merrill. She was willing to answer my questions and even went so far as to meet her and act as a resource for her while she was in the hospital on bed rest prior to delivery. She was gracious, kind and patient with both me and my cousin. She responded with grace and promptness at all hours of the day and night. My cousin stated multiple times to me she felt better about her pregnancy just knowing Merrill was there waiting in the NICU if her daughters needed her.
Eventually, and sadly far too soon, it became time to deliver my cousin's daughters. They were born just after 28 weeks. They were growth restricted but overall doing as expected for their gestational age initially. Being in Wisconsin, I was incredibly stressed not knowing every detail of their care or prognosis. Merrill again acted as an endless pool of information and realistic reassurance to me and more importantly to my cousin.
The girls did well for some time until eventually, Baby A developed Necrotizing Enterocolitis. This serious and common complication ravished her tiny, delicate body and while the amazing staff of HDVCH did everything they could, it was too late. Baby A passed away this morning, only having lived a few short weeks with her twin sister.
I only heard the news a few hours ago and felt compelled in my sadness and grief to acknowledge Merrill because of the phone call I received this morning. I texted my cousin shortly after hearing the news. My exact words were "There are no words. I am so sorry." She called me four minutes after receiving that text and only a few short hours after losing her eldest daughter. She called me to thank her for introducing her to Merrill. In the worst hours of her life, she felt compelled to acknowledge the gift that Merrill gave to her. She explained to me, through heartbreaking tears, that when she left the hospital to rest yesterday, she left her healthy daughter in Merrill's capable and loving hands and this was the only reason she was able to sleep and prepare for what would be the worst day of her life. She felt so comfortable with Merrill, her kindness and intelligence, strength and tenderness, her advocacy and attention, that she was able to completely entrust her care to Merrill and devote her full love and grief to Baby A as she passed.
As my cousin sobbed into the phone with tears of a mother who had just lost her first child, she said over and over that she could not thank me enough for the gift that was having Merrill as a nurse for her daughter. The comfort she provided is something that can never be recognized sufficiently. I know personally I can never repay her, knowing that while I was several states away, my cousin was receiving quality care with love and it gave me such peace.
Please give Merrill the recognition she deserves. She is worthy of every accolade and is an incredible gift to her patients.