I gave birth at McLaren and had to have an emergency C-section due to severe pre-eclampsia. Tamilikia was the nurse who helped me that night and was by my side and my baby girl’s side during my entire stay – which ended up being four long days. She was our night nurse, and we built a strong connection with her. She took not only insanely great care of me – cleaning me up after surgery, making sure I didn’t get any blood clots, encouraging me when I wasn’t feeling well, and motivating me to walk when I finally got off a medication that made me super sick – but she also took amazing care of our daughter. Because I was so sick, she would take her out during the night so we could rest, helped my husband learn how to take care of a newborn while I was out of commission, and even went out of her way to get me shampoo/conditioner when I forgot to pack some. She was an advocate for baby and me, making sure we did not have visitors if we did not want any, maintaining my privacy when scrubbing me in for surgery, and showing us all kinds of tips and tricks about babies that we had never seen before. Whenever her shift came around, she would come in and tell us she had been thinking about us and praying for us, which was so incredibly heartwarming. We truly built a bond with her, and I felt sad that I never got to say goodbye after her last night shift with us! Truly someone who not only beat breast cancer, but who literally puts everybody before herself. She is an incredible human being and deserves this award and so much more.