My son was diagnosed with cancer on Easter Sunday. It was the scariest day of my life. Emily was one of the very first nurses we ever had when we got on the 4th floor. My 16 month old son was having severe pain medication withdrawals the very first night I met Emily. As if cancer wasn't enough to swallow, I sat and held my little baby as he shook from the withdrawals. Emily didn't have to sit down next to me and walk me through the episode. She could have called the doctors and carried on with her other patients, but she didn't. She sat there and endured the unimaginable with me. She educated me. She made me not afraid. She made me strong with her words of encouragement. She gave me the necessary coping skills that night to prepare me for the journey ahead. She made me a different mother that night.
We endured four more long admission stays and not once were we assigned Emily again, until the last round of chemo. My son was very sick after the 1st phase of his last round and Emily shined a light into our dark room every time she came in to check on us. We have been in the hospital for over 120 plus days now. That means we have run through most everyone here at Children's on the 4th floor. We compare everyone to Emily. We have been treated out of this world here. Every single nurse has cared for us with top-notch expectations, but Emily is just different. Emily is kind and patient, she lights up any room she walks into with her demeanor, and she is so incredibly sharp.
During the last round, Emily showed yet again why we adore her. My son battled severely high fevers for days, he was suffering but Emily was such a significant advocate for him. If everyone treated people like they would want their own family treated, the world would function differently. There would be a lot more "Emilys"!
This journey was the hardest journey our family will ever go through, but people like Emily kept us fighting. We are forever changed and impacted by Emily.