August 2023
Stephanie
Meier
,
MSN, APRN, NNP-BC
NICU
Children's Hospital Colorado
Aurora
,
CO
United States
She helped bring some normality to the awful situation we found ourselves in through things I never would have thought I'd find beautiful, like feeding times and diaper changes.
On the day I gave birth, I found out my son had a congenital heart defect. My son was taken from me and immediately put in the hospital's ICU until we could get transferred to Children's Hospital Colorado. Even when we arrived to the children's hospital, I wasn't able to hold my son because I was so scared of all the tubes and lines coming off of him. Stephanie involved my husband and me in our son's care and it couldn't have meant more to us. She encouraged us to not be afraid of the lifesaving care he was receiving, but to be a part of it in our own way. She helped bring some normality to the awful situation we found ourselves in through things I never would have thought I'd find beautiful, like feeding times and diaper changes. These things I realized are privileges to have with my son, and she was who gave me the tools and confidence to delight in the small moments I could with my son. Around all the testing and blood draws, she was like an angel in her treatment of my son. In some ways, I feel she was caring for me too, offering me wordless support through the most difficult moments of my life. All of the staff at the Children's Hospital have been great, but Stephanie Meier is truly an amazing woman who deserves the recognition for the quality of care and compassion she provides for her patients and their families.