Sara entered our lives, and our hearts, in Spring of 2023 when our son was admitted to the PICU for 73 days after his first open heart surgery at 12 days old. It’s difficult to explain what it’s like to spend the first 73 days of motherhood with your baby hospitalized. There were weeklong periods where the nurses were the ones providing our baby with the care that, for most of my life and especially the previous 9 months, I had imagined doing myself. I needed to learn how to trust our nurses to care for this brand new piece of me, just as well or better than I would have. They had to be the mothers (and fathers) that we couldn’t be for R. Sara became a part of our family. While she stood out as an extraordinary nurse at that time, it wasn’t until after R’s admission to the PICU following his second and third open heart surgeries, that I realized her kindness and compassion, as well as her dedication to her patients, families, and the profession of nursing, deserved to be recognized by a family she has impacted so greatly.

All of R’s surgeries were unexpected. However, his second surgery was scheduled ahead of time. We had about two weeks to anticipate this surgery, and we experienced all of the emotions. After a seven-hour procedure, the surgeon came to the waiting room and told us that the surgery went well but that R might need a permanent pacemaker during this admission. This would mean another surgery. We were okay with that. We were relieved that R had made it through this surgery, and we were anxious to see him. Immediately following cardiac surgeries, patients have two nurses. About 20 minutes after our conversation with the surgeon, A nurse came into the waiting room and said that they were ready to bring us into the PICU to see R. We followed the nurse to R’s room, and the first thing I noticed was Sara providing care to him. I don’t know how to explain the amount of weight that lifted off of my shoulders when I saw her. In that moment, seeing her familiar face and remembering her extraordinary care, I felt a sense of being home, and I knew that R was in one of the safest places in the world with Sara at his bedside. I am honored to nominate Sara for the DAISY Award for her outstanding compassion and dedication as a nurse. Sara consistently goes above and beyond to provide exceptional care to her patients, ensuring that each one feels valued, respected, and comforted during their most vulnerable moments.

As a nurse myself, I understand that our profession is difficult. We are pulled in many directions all at once, and we are often stretched thin. I believe that this is true even more so at the ICU level of care. Sara’s kindness never wavered. If she was ever stressed, we never knew. She never seemed frustrated or annoyed by our requests during our collective 100+ days of admission to the PICU. She always explained things before she did them, included us in his plan of care, and took the time to answer our questions. She was everything we could have asked for in a nurse, for R and, admittedly, for ourselves. Her patience, kindness, and attention to detail make her a true asset to her team and an inspiration to all who work alongside her. If she wasn’t R’s primary nurse during a particular shift, she still came in to lend an extra hand. In one instance, it had been nearly 30 days since we had held R. R.’s nurse had asked Sara for assistance to help change his sheets and bedding. Sara came in and offered for my husband to hold R up while they changed the bedding. He didn’t get to fully embrace R but was able to feel R’s weight and movement in his hands. That tiny detail, giving us the ability to finally hold our son again, could have easily been overlooked. But Sara knew that holding R was something we longed for, and she made it happen despite the obstacles of tubing, monitors, lines, and drains. That meant so much to us. Sara’s ability to connect with patients and their families demonstrates her commitment to not only their physical well-being but also their emotional needs. She always checked in on my husband and me multiple times during a shift, and we felt that she would have done everything she could to give us the world if we asked for it. And she would have done it with a smile. Sara exemplifies the essence of nursing excellence, and her genuine passion for helping others is truly remarkable. As a cardiac RN myself, I strive to be the type of nurse that Sara is. PICU patients, PICU families, Sara’s teammates, and CCMC are incredibly lucky to have her.