I will start by saying we received the utmost care while at the Meriter NICU, but Nurse Tara was incredibly special to us and our son. She was very empathetic and caring about me (Mom) and my traumatic birth and how our little baby had gotten where he is. She truly cared and wanted to get to know us better so that she might be a better nurse to our family. She got to know our little fighter and you could just feel the love she felt for him. He truly was in the best hands whenever she was around. I can see her going to do his cares and him putting his little hand up trying to hit her away as if joking, get out of here, let me sleep! Nurse Tara let us know a lot about the training and programs that the NICU has going on to better themselves as caregivers and you could really tell she was interested and played an active role in not only bettering herself but also the NICU team in general.

Our son had some great days, and he had some very rough days. She was there for them all. Obviously, it was a team effort on one of his big events, but she kept his little heart beating, even if for just one more day, I will never forget it. That night after her shift had ended my husband and I were in the waiting room as his room was occupied for x-rays and she came out and spoke with us and the front desk and got us set up in the family suite which was incredibly kind and thoughtful of her. We were going to stay in his room, but I think she knew it wasn't going to be a quiet night for him and we wouldn't sleep. Our son wasn't expected to make it through the night, but he did, and we saw her the next day. She was relieved to see him and us, but it still wasn't looking good for him, yet she took the best care of him. When her shift ended that night, she again worked far later than she had to, just to sit with us and ask if we needed anything. What she could do for us - anything to help ease the difficult time. Our son did pass away early that next morning cuddled on my chest, warm, happy, and loved with my husband holding him as well.

Throughout our whole NICU experience, we always felt love and part of the family - never like we were in the way - and that is hard to describe how much it meant to us. How can such a horrible experience leave you feeling so much love and positivity? It doesn't make sense, but we did. It means so much to know that our son was loved by Nurse Tara (and I feel everyone else in the NICU too) and that his 18 days with us were full of love and very meaningful.

A week later we went to pick up some of our son's casts (Loved them) and lucky us, Nurse Tara was working and able to bring them down! It brought my husband and me so much comfort to see her again, knowing that our son had an impact on her, and she had such an impact on us. We cannot thank the Meriter NICU and Nurse Tara, especially, for their loving care. I am still in amazement at the technology that is used for these tiny babies and the teamwork from the entire NICU floor and other departments to keep things running so smoothly. Thank you, Nurse Tara, you really are such a bright and shining silver lining to our situation. Thank you for sharing your love and dedication with our son. He will always be smiling down at you.

Note: This is Tara's 2nd DAISY Award!