I am a team leader in the PICU at Children's Medical Center, and as such, I often deal with families that are stressed out by their circumstances. Recently, we had a patient who had been admitted the previous night. He was a 12 year old boy, and he had a history of seizures. He had an "atypical" seizure in an outlying facilty, and subsequently had not come back to his baseline neurological status. The child was careflighted to Children's so his neurologist could follow up. He was intubated and on a ventilator. His parents were at his bedside, keeping a constant vigil. Lainey was this young man's nurse.

He was not the sickest child in the unit; he was fairly stable. However, his parents were on pins and needles, sleep deprived, and very emotional. Mom wanted her son extubated, and was very adamant about this. Lainey was able to build a rapport with her, and a trust relationship, so when mom asked Lainey's advice, she decided to keep the endotracheal tube in until after MRI. Lainey advocated for her patient and family ceaselessly. Unfortunately, as his was non-emergent, this patient kept getting bumped for MRI. What started out early in the day as a short wait for a procedure, became a lengthy ordeal. Lainey was able to help this family come to terms with the process while still advocating for her patient and family. That day Lainey made such an impression on his parents.

I have witnessed Lainey's compassion and skill in taking care of our incredibly sick population. She has a way of looking at life with a quirky sense of humor and lightening the load of her co-workers, peers, and patients. In the words of Lainey's patient's mother," She held my hand when I needed it, she made me laugh just when I couldn't take it anymore, and she let me cry when I couldn't hold it in." This family had been dealing with their son's chronic condition since he was a baby. Both parents could not say enough about Lainey. Truly, they said she was the best nurse they had ever had, over the twelve years of their son's life.

I rounded on the family at the end of this very long day. Finally, at 6:45pm, almost the end of the shift, Lainey had taken her patient to MRI. I knew the family was upset about how long the wait had been. I was prepared to hear a barrage of complaints, and had my best bedside manner on to help deflect the anger and disappointment. Much to my surprise, I found them full of nothing but compliments of Lainey's care, both of their son and themselves.

In the pediatric ICU setting, we do not just take care of the children. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and we minister to them, sometimes more than our actual patients. Lainey provides extraordinary care, with compassion, humor, and the desire to create an atmosphere of trust with her families. She is a patient and family advocate, and she does not stop. This family felt much as I do, that they were blessed to work with Lainey Segovia.