I'm not sure I can accurately represent Shelby in this small of space. She is an amazing person inside and out. Shelby was one of the nurses who sat next to me while receiving the news that my, then 4-year-old daughter, would be transferred to the oncology unit in Des Moines. Shelby and the social worker ripped up small pieces of paper and played "snow" with a child whose life was about to be turned upside down. She sat next to a mother who was unsure of which way to turn. As we loaded in the ambulance Shelby rushed in to give my daughter a stuffed moose and a book she had purchased herself from the gift shop so S would not be scared on the drive. Little did Shelby know that I, as S's mother, would hold this stuffed moose every time S went for a bone marrow biopsy, port placement, or chemo infusion when she was too sedated to hold the moose herself. This moose ended up being my way of feeling we were not alone in a room full of people.
Shelby's calming presence will remain treasured forever. Months later my daughter arrived in the ER once again. Shelby came rushing over once again to assist. She held my hand while my husband held our daughter during a seizure caused by chemotoxicity. She never seemed rushed, bothered, or preoccupied. She was in the moment. Thank you, Shelby.