Sarah was there for the hardest day of our lives. Previously, Sarah had become a rock for our family, helping us through several nights in the PICU. Our daughter, F, had a very demanding nighttime routine, which included a marathon of medications and a skincare routine that usually took nurses around 2 hours to complete. Sarah amazed me by getting it done in record time (45 minutes), without compromising any part of the process. She made me feel so safe and supported as our daughter fought through a very precarious series of issues.

But what really differentiated Sarah was our last day. Sarah was there, honoring F as she died. She held me as I cried and provided her last bath. There’s no one I would’ve wanted to do that bath more. She made her look beautiful so we could say our final goodbyes. Since we are not from the area, she went out of her way to arrange a funeral home to pick up our daughter so that she did not have to go down to the hospital morgue. She stayed by our daughter’s side to the very end. Finally, she made sure our daughter would never be alone by clipping her favorite puppy balloon toy to her outfit, which I did not know until I got to the funeral home. Wherever she goes, puppy goes.

We had so many amazing nurses during our long stay in the PICU, but Sarah’s care and compassion as we traversed grief and bereavement made all the difference. We will forever be eternally grateful for all she did for our family.