Krista Hair took care of a baby whose mother was being withdrawn from care in the MICU. This was a very emotional situation and she did a great job working with Dad and coordinating with the whole team to bring the baby up to MICU for some time with Mom and Dad together. We have done that in NICU before, so in and of itself this was not unusual. However, what Krista did with this situation made her response exceptional.
When a baby dies, we always make up a Memory Box to give to the parents. We usually include a snip of hair, hand or footprints, photos, and other special items. Krista requested a Memory Box to bring up to MICU so she could create a Memory Box with the mother's things that Dad could save and give to the baby when he is older. What a wonderful, innovative twist on our usual practice. I found Krista's awareness and creativity inspiring and I know that she has influenced my thinking about future situations like this. A great example of the Nurses Week Motto - Inspire, Innovate and Influence.