On January 26, 2010 Melissa was called to Houston Northwest to transport an extremely ill neonatal patient that had been born earlier in the day. After arriving, she, in collaboration with her team members attempted to stabilize the infant for transport back to Texas Children's Hospital. Unfortunately, the infant was too ill and expired despite the team’s 3½ hour resuscitation efforts. In most cases, the team’s job would be complete. However, Melissa learned that there was not chaplain available and the referring hospital staff was having a difficult time providing post mortem care for the infant. In an effort to help the referring hospital and to help the mother through this difficult time, Melissa went the extra mile. She obtained supplies to make footprints of the infant for the mother. She also researched baptismal prayers on the internet and baptized the baby for the family. This is a difficult situation for any nurse. However, Melissa demonstrated compassion, empathy, and Service with Heart.

A second example of Melissa’s compassion and patient advocacy can be demonstrated by another recent situation she encountered. Melissa was taking a ventilator dependent baby from Texas Children's Hospital to their home where they would receive home care. When she arrived at the home, she discovered that the home did not have all the necessary supplies available for the child to be cared for appropriately. Instead of leaving the child in this potentially unsafe condition, she stayed with the patient for several hours and coordinated with TCH discharge facilitators and the home health agency to ensure that the supplies were delivered and the conditions were safe prior to leaving the child.