Nicolette has always exhibited extraordinary care to my son, N, and our whole family since we first met her. She has been such a positive presence in our lives over the last year. Even when she hasn't been assigned to us, she takes time out of her day to come to say hi to N and make him smile. This has made a huge difference to him as he now knows her very well and is comfortable with her.
During our inpatient stay for Cycle 2 of Immunotherapy, we were lucky to have Nicolette as N's nurse for three straight days. During this time, we noticed a remarkable change in N and his demeanor due to her calm and caring approach as well as the effort that she previously made to build a relationship with him. Cycle 1 was extremely difficult and painful for him and he came back for Cycle 2 with a lot of anxiety, particularly around taking his medications orally since he no longer has an NG tube. Nicolette took the time to understand what worked best for him and worked with my husband and me to create a plan on the medication schedule for the day and how to fit everything in without causing too much stress to N.
N takes at least 10 medications orally during the day so it can be a constant battle and stressor for all of us. Nicolette was also very encouraging in helping him take his meds orally. She exhibited a lot of patience and also tried to make him laugh and distract him whenever he had to take a medicine or get poked or prodded. Instead of downplaying it or rushing him through it, she allowed him to express his feelings but focused on trying to make him feel better.
Nicolette is a perfect example of a nurse who does more than just her job description. She exhibits a great amount of compassion and recognizes that even though administering medication is so common and routine in her job, it can be traumatizing to a 3-year-old boy. She truly cares about N and wants the best for him and our whole family felt that during our inpatient stay.