We traveled from Oregon to consult our son's heart and ultimately have the surgery because we heard that Texas Children's Hospital was the best and we were not going to accept anything less for him. I must say when we thought of the best, we thought it was referring to the best cardiologist and surgeons but we were so happy to find that it extended to everyone from those checking us in, to the nurses, to the janitorial staff. We wanted to sincerely thank you all. We were transferred from ICU to the floor and welcomed by Elise and Katrina. Our son was still experiencing a lot of pain and us as parents, were still overwhelmed by what was ahead. They immediately comforted us, kneeling at A's bedside to be at eye level and ask him about his pain. They showed him how to soothe and promising him they were on top of it. They oriented us on what to expect next and got us settled in our room and familiarized us with the floor. They continued that level of attention and nurturing care throughout all their shifts. Showing interest in who A was, what he liked, and us and our family. Then came the moment where A developed a "rash-like" presence on his inner leg. The same undiagnosed appearance that had launched a 4-month decline in his health and weakening of his heart. She noticed I was distraught and took me outside and asked me what my concern was and I teared up, she hugged me and said we will contact the doctors and we will closely follow it. They did just that. It's hard to put into words how to express our appreciation for Elise and Katrina, other than to say that we had "angels on our side" and because of that we knew for the first time in 4 long months that our son was going to be fine.
Note: This is Elise's 2nd DAISY Award!