My daughter and I were transferred to New Orleans Children’s Hospital on an ambulance transporter in December from the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Lafayette, La, our hometown after doing multiple tests and not being able to figure out why my daughter wasn't able to move her leg. The ER doctor at Women’s and Children in Lafayette, La called Dr. Falcon, her Hematologist because he was concerned that he couldn’t care for her effectively. I was very afraid to transfer to New Orleans with my daughter because I was not familiar with the city or hospital. When we arrived, we were greeted by the doctor and nurse on duty Dr. Shea and Nurse Taylor. They assessed us and immediately got the tests Dr. Falcon ordered and found the source of why my daughter couldn't walk, which was a stroke, and immediately went into intensive care for the procedures needed to address the problem.

Every single person on staff throughout our time at the hospital greeted us, informed us, was patient with us enough for us to ask as many questions as needed to help us understand what was going on. This was such a hard time for us because my daughter had never been through anything so intensive in her life. We were so scared. The staff was so informative in helping us understand what was going on before and during each procedure she had to undergo. This had to be one of the most heart-wrenching and scariest moments of my life having to be strong for my daughter through this process. I am so thankful for the team at Ochsner. From the time we walked in, to the time we were discharged, everyone we came encountered was so assertive, so kind, so hospitable in making sure we were all right and informed and if we had questions, they were so patient with us in answering or finding out the answer.

This is a list of a few of the amazing team members we encountered during our time at Ochsner Children’s Hospital. I tried to take down as many names as I could. It was a very scary time, and everything was happening so fast. There are a few names I missed. Dr. Falcon Hematology, Dr. Lotterman Hematology, Dr. Shea in pediatrics, Taylor - night nurse in pediatrics, Jordan - nurse in pediatrics, Stacey - day nurse in pediatrics, Abbigail - child life, Katie - child life, Chelsea - child life, Sophie - child life, Ashley - night nurse in pediatrics, Ms. T - day nurse in ICU, Emily & trainee from Lafayette, La physical therapy, Sebastian occupational therapy, Dr. Conner Smith pediatrics.