From the first day we met Mona, we immediately understood she is a dedicated nurse. What we didn't immediately realize is the genuine depth to which she cares for the children and families she helps during their stay at the St. Paul Children's Hospital NICU.
Shortly after we arrived at Children's we learned our new son needed surgery to repair his digestive system. After the doctors provided a summary of the procedure, Mona took the time to re-explain everything to us including the organization of the hospital where we could go for additional resources.
We greatly appreciated Mona's explanation as we were certainly in a bit of shock at this point. We learned later that Mona stayed with us and took as much time as we needed to understand what our baby was going through, all while she had a family emergency of her own. Mona brought her replacement up to speed and ensured we were OK before departing to care for her own family.
The following morning, Mona returned to the NICU assigned to care for our son. At this point, he had more tubes than we could count and needed to stay in an incubator with limited contact to prevent infection. During this time, Mona not only the provided care for our son but cared for us by ensuring we were getting adequate sleep and nutrition. Throughout the day, we chatted with Mona, slowly getting to know one another. At the end of her shift, Mona respectfully asked us if it would be OK if she requested to be assigned to care for our son for the duration of his stay; we were more than happy to learn this would be the case!
Over the next few days, our son gained strength and lost a few tubes, which allowed us to hold him. As first-time parents, we were nervous, to say the least, yet Mona took the time to comfort us as well as our son. Once we were comfortable, Mona discretely left the room to allow us to bond with our new baby boy.
Within our two week stay, Mona not only provided outstanding care for him but also acted as his advocate. She facilitated consultations for us with the lactation consultant to help him successfully nurse with his digestive issues, ensured we were cared for and provided detailed information beyond what was included in his chart to the doctors to ensure we received the most effective care. I am confident that without Mona's attentive eye and professional care, our son would not have recovered as quickly as he did. In addition to each of these items, it was obvious that Mona genuinely cared for him and wanted the best for him. If we needed to leave his room and he became fussy, we would often return to find Mona holding him and providing comfort. Once we returned to find our baby 'helping' Mona with her charting responsibilities.
Mona consistently displayed the highest level of integrity. Mona cared for our son like he was her own. We could not have asked for a better, more efficient and caring nurse to work with during our stay. We want to thank Mona for everything she did for our family. She deserves this DAISY Award!