Rebecca Reynolds, RN

We met Nurse Rebecca Reynolds when we brought our daughter in for a surgical procedure. We adopted our child as an infant. Sadly, she had suffered severe global brain damage during birth. Now nearly 11 years old, she has the cognitive level of a 6-9-month-old baby and lives with many complications, resulting in countless hospital visits and procedures over the years. As the mother of two nurses, I have immense respect for the profession. I truly believe most people go into nursing with the best of intentions—to care, to serve, and to comfort. Over the past ten years, as we've navigated the medical world, we've been blessed to have worked with many exceptional nurses. But Rebecca is something entirely different... She is the golden standard. The kind of nurse every other nurse should strive to be. She radiates compassion, warmth, and pure kindness in a way that is rare and deeply moving. From the moment she entered our daughter's room, her presence shone with gentleness, love, and respect—not just for us as parents, but especially for our daughter. She cannot speak or communicate in typical ways, but she is fully aware and deeply sensitive to the people around her. Despite her silence, Rebecca connected with her most tenderly and genuinely—treating her not just as a patient but as a whole, precious person. As I mentioned, most of the medical professionals we’ve encountered over the years have been wonderful. But sadly, there have also been times when doctors or nurses have treated our child as though she wasn’t even there—simply because she couldn’t respond to their questions. Rebecca went far above and beyond anything we’ve ever experienced. She felt like an angel walking into our lives at just the right moment. Thinking back on that day still brings tears to my eyes. I’ve had a note on my computer for four months reminding me to nominate her because I feel so strongly about recognizing her stellar care. Rady’s is incredibly lucky to have her, and I hope her managers, supervisors, and team know what a gift she is to the hospital—and to families like ours. She was called to be a nurse, and we are forever grateful that she was the one who cared for our daughter that day.