I have been under Abigail's care on two different occasions - on the worst day of my life, and on the best day of my life. Both situations were made better by her care and compassion.
On the worst day of my life, my partner and I had gone to the OB ED because I was exactly 40 weeks pregnant with our first child and she had stopped moving. While in triage we received the worst news imaginable, our baby girl had passed away. The time between seeing her still heart on the ultrasound and driving home without our newborn is a hazy fog of grief, but throughout those first few difficult days of our stay at REX, Abigail's kind face is a clear staple in my memories. She was quiet and understanding when we needed her to be, and she was compassionate and angry with us when we needed that too. She laughed with us when we were able to use humor to soften the agony and the whole time she gave warm, professional, gentle care that I needed while I labored with my stillborn child.
But, I uniquely had the pleasure of also including Abigail in my memories of the best day of my life. After losing our first child, my partner and I conceived again and were back at the OBED as I went into labor with our son. This time, our baby was alive and doing well, but had somehow turned breech in the span of 24 hours. He was head down at our 38-week appointment, and the very next day I was laboring at 6 am with a breech baby. Of course, this meant I would need to deliver by C-section, and quickly, because I was already so far along, and it was my second pregnancy. I was terrified as all the nurses buzzed around me preparing me for surgery, and as the curtain rustled behind one of them, I saw something familiar that sparked hope in me. Abigail's long brown ponytail swishing around as she walked by the triage bay. I asked one of the nurses near me if that was, in fact, Abigail, and sure enough, she came rushing in to give me a big hug and offer congratulations. Upon learning that this birth would not go "normally" either, Abigail took over as one of the nurses caring for me. She was in the OR with me when they delivered my son and seeing her smiling face and hearing her caring voice, helped calm me and give me hope when I was beyond frightened. She took care of me in the recovery area as well and rejoiced with us as we celebrated bringing a healthy child into the world.
Abigail has left such a lasting impact on me through her compassion and warmth. She held my hand during a tragedy and she hugged me during a celebration. She gave me hope and light during both the hardest and the happiest times of my life. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be under her care twice, and I believe she deserves to be recognized for the outstanding level of care she provided me and how she went above and beyond to connect sympathetically with me in both my time of grief and my time of joy.
Thank you!