It is very easy to thank a single person, but when you have an entire department to thank, you don't know where to begin…and so, you write a letter.
I woke up feeling weird, so I went to the hospital (not Valley Presbyterian). I really thought I was going to be sent home, but to my surprise, the doctors decided it was best for me to have a c-section that evening. I quickly went into panic mode and was overcome with emotion because I was going to meet my baby. A baby who they said would be born with Down syndrome, a cleft lip, and possible cleft palate. A baby who would be facing challenges at birth. I was informed by the doctor at Holy Cross that the hospital's NICU was full and the baby would more than likely be transferred (as if I needed more stress) to Valley Presbyterian Hospital.
Holy Cross has always been 'my' hospital and I knew nothing about Valley Presbyterian Hospital. Being naïve to the discharge process, I really hoped a baby would be sent home by the time mine was born. Of course, that did not happen. My baby boy was born and I got my two seconds of 'cheek to cheek' time and off he went. While I was recovering, shaking uncontrollably and unable to feel my legs, that kept getting caught in the bed rails, my baby was brought to me to say 'goodbye.' I saw a baby in an incubator who was so tiny and seemed to have tubes coming out of pretty much everywhere. I saw two gentlemen, and of course had no clue who they were or what they were doing and then a nurse named Angela, who kindly asked me for my signature.
Saturday rolled around and I was in one hospital, while my baby was in another hospital…again, one which I knew nothing about. I then made my first phone call to Valley Presbyterian Hospital's NICU. And not knowing what I was expecting, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a nice, sweet voice who transferred me to my baby's nurse, Janet. I was given an update and told to call anytime. And just like that, my nerves were calmed.
Sunday morning came around and at that point, I don't just want to leave the hospital, I needed to leave. The sound of other babies crying in their mother's rooms was starting to get to me and thankfully I was discharged. My husband picked me up and I asked him to take me straight to the place where my baby was.
We arrived at this almost foreign place that dared to have the NICU on the second floor instead of on a comfortable ground level (I have a bit of claustrophobia and avoid elevators as much as I can). All I could think of was, 'I like this place even less now.' I mean, I just had a C-section, I prefer to walk now, and I must take an elevator. I walk in and after I scrub, I am finally in the room where he was. The nurse immediately asked if I wanted to hold him and she brought me a chair. We engaged in a short conversation.
Things were explained to me and I started to meet more and more nurses. Soon after that, we found out that the baby had an infection and we were told he will be there for at least six more weeks! Yes, six more weeks…so as the days and nights passed, I started to really get to know the nurses, the occupational therapists and the rest of the staff.
Today, I am happy to say the NICU nurses at Valley Presbyterian Hospital are the absolute BEST! I would love to name each and every one of them and tell you how they have helped me, the tips they've given me, the words of comfort they have shared with me, and all the love they have shown my little boy, but I can't. Not because I can't type their names, but because it wasn't just one nurse, or two, or three, it was all of them!
Things did not go as I had planned; things went as they were meant to be! My son is now at Children's Hospital and although that is also an excellent hospital, there isn't a day that goes by that I do not wish he was still at Valley Presbyterian. I do not know what the outcome would have been if he would have stayed at Holy Cross, but one thing is for sure, I wouldn't have met the wonderful staff at Valley Presbyterian nor made those friendships that will last a lifetime. So from the bottom of our hearts, we want to say, 'thank you' to each and every single nurse and the NICU staff.
***
Compassion is an intrinsic quality or trait that enables nurses to discern a need, provide comfort and help a patient and family feel safe and special. The neonatal intensive care nurses at Valley Presbyterian Hospital demonstrated compassion and all the values that the DAISY Award represents. This team was recognized by a mother, for portraying the entire list of DAISY attributes:
Making a special connection with a patient and her family
Including the family members in the patients' plan of care
Collaborating as a team to meet this patient's unique needs
Going above and beyond the "call of duty"
Providing individualized, compassionate care
Living out the hospital vision of excellence.

NICU Nurses at Valley Presbyterian include:
Kate Wheeler, RN
Angela Hughes, RN
Nina Colangeli, RN
Lisa Lima, RN
Nicole Blundell, RN
Christine DeSantiago, RN
Nikki Johnson, RN
Dr. Sreepathi, RN
Tanya Velesquez,RN
Sunny Santik, RN
Fuhmeei Jou, RN
Anna Mae, RN
Lindsey Calubayan, RN
Gina Rai, RN
Lan Thanhlan, RN