In July we were at a family event and our son, Z, 7 years old, had a trailer fall on his ankle resulting in a very deep cut. We decided to go to the Hoopeston ER as it was the closest to our location and we were wonderfully surprised by the care we received. Upon our arrival, we couldn't find the door and Nurse Rae saw us walking up and immediately allowed us into the facility. She began caring for our son and asking questions all at the same time. She was patient and knew just exactly how to care for him. Before the doctor put stitches in they wanted to numb the wound before injecting the numbing agent. It needed to wait to become numb, and in that short amount of time when we got there until he was ready to be seen by the doctor, she ran into our room, and said, "Do you mind if I show your son something?" We didn't, and we were waiting, and at that point, anything to pass the time seemed like a fun idea! She put him in a wheelchair, and wheeled him outside, and above was the most beautiful and vibrant rainbow. Z was disappointed that he would not see our community's fireworks that evening, but it was replaced by a very touching moment shared with him by his nurse (I do have a photo of this, if it would be helpful to share - it is gorgeous!)

I have been to numerous medical facilities with each of our three kids, and being that we have three kids, we have made a trip or two to the Emergency Room. Those moments can feel panicked or stressful. I can tell you that Nurse Rae was unmatched by any nurse we have had. Her smile, sweet, kind, compassionate and caring spirit were everything our son needed and more! She went above and beyond trying to make him comfortable, but also in trying to cheer him up and take his mind off of his wound. I was sharing this with a nurse friend who told me about this award, and she shared, also, that Rae is most deserving of this award.