Our daughter was delivered stillborn. We went into the hospital, and Olivia was our first nurse. She was unable to find a heartbeat with the Doppler device and was with us when the doctor confirmed with the ultrasound. 

While all the nurses we encountered in our time at the hospital were so helpful and understanding, Olivia was exceptional. She stayed with us when we needed someone there and gave us space when we needed to be alone. At the end of her shift, she offered to stay with us throughout our time at the hospital. Though regretfully, we did not take her up on the offer, it was deeply appreciated. Olivia’s words brought some measure of comfort at a terrible time, when we were in shock and only beginning to process what happened. Olivia asked us to promise we would remember that there’s nothing we could’ve done, and our baby is safe and loved. My wife asked how Olivia knew that was the case, and Olivia said, “because you’re here; you felt something was wrong, and you came to get help.”

Olivia’s words have stuck with us and continue to bring us solace today. While we don’t remember everything that Olivia said to us that day, we’ll always remember the feeling she gave us, that of an overwhelming sense of empathy, respect, and comfort when everything else was going wrong. On the worst day of our lives, Olivia made our experience more bearable and helped us begin to grieve.