When my child was born, he just happened to come into the world 6 weeks early. That meant he had to stay in the UVMC NICU for almost 2 weeks. For a new mom, this was traumatizing to me. The flood of emotions through this time was unbearable. To see your child who you were expecting to deliver soon come 6 weeks early scared the daylights out of me.
I was dealing with much anxiety after the birth that it took my breath away when I would see him with all the alarms and tubes attached. One of the things that truly saved my sanity was seeing Dustina Schroder walk into the unit. She had a way of taking care of my son that calmed me. She did such a good job with him. He was only 4 pounds and she cared for him as if he were her own. She would keep me updated in the middle of the night when I had trouble sleeping. It just seemed like she was meant to be there for him. She got him to eat by himself so well at night. She dressed him in his first preemie outfit. Dustina so deserves this award for excelling in all the areas for an extraordinary nurse. She is a true Angel and I cannot thank her enough.