Yes, it's a year late, but such is the life of parents trying to take care of a 2-year-old. Yet I promised I would send this out even if it's a year later. Funny enough, I remember it like it was yesterday. Our son, V, spent 2 days in the PICU unit as he wasn't feeling well and it was worse than we anticipated. After having a 106 fever, our pediatrician urged us to take him to CHOC asap. Scared, my wife and I drove our son to the CHOC ER. Our son has a rare genetic condition so naturally, we were fearful of the worst. And while it was the simple cold virus, it appeared to have hit him harder than most kids his age. Deep down, I knew V would pull through because he was and always has been a fighter. The big question was: how would we as mom and dad handle this? Better yet, who would be the one to keep our emotions in check and help us stay positive. Well, that person was Katelyn!!!
To be fair, several other nurses and staff members were extremely helpful, but I remember Katelyn's positive attitude, intelligence, and attention to detail. More importantly, she was there to listen to us. Yes, as parents we have a tendency to ramble and know MORE about our son than professionals. And I remember Katelyn did the one thing we hadn't seen a lot from the other doctors, medical professionals, and even loved ones: she listened. She listened as my wife described our son's current condition, medical history, feeding preferences, and health outlook. What Katelyn provided was a positive attitude and confidence that the PICU team would give our son the best care possible, not to mention help pencil us in a room to make mom and dad feel at home. And it wasn't just showing us the room and then heading out for the night; she helped make sure we had contact with the doctor, nutritionist, case manager, and other individuals to ensure we had the care we needed. I remember she gave my wife a hug and had such a positive and calming presence for us, we knew it would be ok.
Our son was born in 2017 and spend almost 10 days in the NICU. From that time until today, I've gained an even greater appreciation for the nursing industry and its amazing employees, especially at CHOC. I believe Katelyn embodies the compassion and intelligence that can honestly be a standard for nurses everywhere.