Marcy Rumrill
September 2021
Marcy
Rumrill
,
RN
Blake 10 Neonatal ICU
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston
,
MA
United States
Marcy connected with my son right away. Drawing our attention to his facial expressions and personality.
I don’t think I recognized the gift Marcy gave me until after my child left the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. As a new mom recovering from delivery and caring for a sick infant, I was on an emotional roller coaster ride. The NICU tried hard to give us every opportunity to bond with our child but my son couldn’t be held as much as a healthy baby or breast fed. There were times when it felt like I was not the parent, I did not know how to best care for my child, and I did not know him. Marcy became one of our regular nurses and I think back on her interactions with our family with a smile. She connected with my son right away. Drawing our attention to his facial expressions and personality. Teaching us how he preferred to be seated and spoken to as he listened to us with a dignified and serious expression. Marcy dubbed him “Prince” because like the royalty he refused to wait until his care times to be changed but alerted us to his needs immediately and kept one eye open to make sure he was still being held and attended to. We still call him Prince today. Her jokes made me laugh with my son and to see him as a person with his own little personality. She gave me the gift of being joyful as I got to know and bond with my child. When a nurse takes the time to recognize the uniqueness of a patient and uses humor to make a challenging time joyful, she is truly a special individual. I hope you share this story with her with my gratitude.