Hannah is a Godsend. She is simply amazing. Hannah was destined to be a NICU nurse and Roanoke Memorial is blessed to have her. All of the NICU staff, doctors and nurses were great. But, Hannah stood out. My first impression was wow, she knows her stuff! She was so friendly, caring, and her nursing skills were excellent, which put me at ease. Our son M was born early this summer. Twelve hours after birth he started to have difficulty breathing. He was rushed to the NICU and diagnosed with a pneumothorax. Double pneumonia soon followed. He was a very sick baby boy. M was in the NICU for seventeen days and Hannah was our nurse for seven of those days. Hannah always answered my questions in detail and explained things so my husband and I could understand. She would reassure us and have comforting words on those difficult days. She would make fresh nests for M and once he started to feel better she went out of her way to get him a big boy bed. She made several keepsakes for my daughter, husband, and I of M's hand and footprints. We enjoyed getting to know her as a nurse and her life outside of the hospital. Our three and a half year old daughter adored her and refers to her as "M's Hannah." She is also a team player. I watched her offer help to other nurses and I could tell they loved her too.
Our last three days in the NICU we were blessed to have Hannah. I was so thankful to have her at the end of our NICU journey to see us on our way home. Two days before M was discharged our septic backed up into our basement. I received a frantic call from my husband while I was in the NICU with M and Hannah. I stepped outside to talk to my husband who told me we had a nightmare in our basement. Hannah came out to check on me and I had teary eyes as I explained the chaos back at home. As I sat outside the NICU door trying to reach the man who had installed our septic system, Hannah quickly returned with a list of names and numbers of septic services. She so desperately wanted to help. She insisted I go back home and take care of our situation. I hated to leave but I knew M was in the best hands. We didn't get to spend as much time with M and Hannah the last two days as we were trying to get our house in order to bring him home. She gave him lots of cuddles and made sure he knew he was loved and taken care of. She always knew just what M needed. We wanted to snatch her up and bring her home with us. M came home on Father's Day. Hannah found a onesie that said, "Daddy's Best Friend." There were tears shed as we said our goodbyes. Hannah is so special. She is one of a kind. One who goes above and beyond her duties as a nurse. She will always have a place in our hearts and will be a life-long friend.