My wife delivered our first child by C-section; the days to follow were extremely emotional for both of us. The staff in the post-partum and nursery unit were great, but Katelin, in particular, was truly amazing. My wife was having difficulties with breastfeeding that were causing quite a bit of anxiety and tears.
The morning after the delivery Katelin was on duty. From the time we met her, the compassionate, highly skilled nursing care she provided, on top of her exceedingly kind demeanor, helped to pull my wife back from tears multiple times and kept her encouraged to keep trying. Over the next few days, Katelin was assigned to the nursery, whereby we were able to have her as our daughter's nurse. In the hours of care that she provided, I don't think we ever saw her without an encouraging smile.
I'm a firefighter/paramedic by profession. I often see clinicians who are exceptional at their jobs. What I find rare are those who not only excel clinically but are absolutely inspirational in their ability to calm and ensure patients that everything will work out. Through all the tears, we eventually got home; mother and daughter are doing well. We owe a small part of our sanity to Katelin; she was a true hero!