Shelley Herald, RN, BSN

Our daughter P was born just shy of 29 weeks. She only measured 10.5 inches and weighed 1 lb 3 oz. When we were finally allowed to visit her in the NICU, we were scared; they told us our baby was tiny and that not in her favor. We were nervous, afraid, and angry. We tried so long for a baby, and now we might lose that. We prayed and prayed. We walked into the NICU one evening and learned our baby had a primary nurse named Shelley.

Later that night, we met her for the first time; a god-sent angel is the only statement I can use to describe her. Shelley explained everything to us, down to the tiniest detail; she gave us hope. While taking care of our baby princess, she taught us how to do it, which has helped tremendously. Shelley gave our daughter the best care, but she also took care of us. We laughed, we cried, and we became a family. I don't believe my daughter would have survived if it wasn't for Shelley. When the other nurses couldn't get P to feed, Shelley could. When nobody could get P's diaper rash to heal, Shelley did. Our baby thrived because of Shelley. Because of her, we are finally home with our forever dream, a beautiful baby girl.