This was my 15-month-old son’s second hospital stay, yet the longest one. Sarah was our nurse for 3 days. She exhibited exceptional knowledge in nursing, which included, but was not limited to: answering questions promptly and with accuracy, administering medically necessary care with ease and cleanliness, as well as understanding of his specific medical case.

Throughout our time with her as our nurse, Sarah worked on building my son’s trust. It was encouraging to see her validate his frustrations, and she intuitively knew ideas to help with anxiety and his overall fussiness. She continued to engage age-appropriately with him and eased his worries. My son doesn’t hug many people, but on day 3, he was reaching out to Sarah to hug her. She built trust and a safety net for him, which set her apart from the other nurses.

As a parent, I was encouraged to see Sarah fight for his well-being and comfort. She was a great liaison between the doctors and me, the parent. Her aid in relaying the pertinent events to the doctors in a manner that was concise and informative, without altering my concerns, was highly reassuring for me to see. Additionally, she continued to fight for my son’s comfort, whether that was bringing up ideas to try with the doctors, like bringing in Child Life, or being humble enough to admit when she was going to reach out to others to find ideas and solutions for ways to help aid in his comfort.

Furthermore, setting Sarah apart from the other nurses was her care for me, his mother. Sarah talked and communicated effectively and was comforting to me throughout our entire time she was our nurse. She quickly formed a trusting bond with me, not only putting my son at ease, but me too. She impressed me when she was able to pick up on things that maybe others wouldn’t. For example, my son was not allowed to eat or drink, so I didn’t want to eat or drink in front of him to avoid upsetting my son. Sarah asked me if I wanted to leave to eat, and I refused. Later, after the whole day had passed, she asked if she could order me a guest tray. I replied, saying that it would be nice and I would eat it later. She instantly said, “No-no, just because your son is NPO doesn’t mean you have to be. Me or the Tech will watch your son while you go eat, mom”.

This interaction was not pushy or overstepping; to me, this set Sarah apart as being exceptional. Her understanding of the need for a mom to care for her child sometimes means putting her needs on the back burner. Sarah was able to help me be the best for my son, setting me up for success by allowing me to quickly step aside and eat without upsetting my son. Throughout the 3 days we spent with Sarah, I was impressed by her overall demeanor towards not only my son, but myself included. She had an upbeat and positive attitude, delivering high-quality care, including being ethical, patient-oriented, and having a firm understanding of nursing.

Lastly, she continued to help us with a smile and a sense of validation of all we have been through. She did all of this with ease and with not a second thought, which means it comes naturally to her…to me, that’s a true nurse! In a world of medical uncertainty and the “scary” hospital walls, we are thankful that Sarah got to act as our DAISY during our hospitalization, bringing a reminder that happier times are coming!