Kevin was the nurse for my daughter a few times but the impact that he had was great. He took the time to ask about our daughter prior to intubation, not many did. Kevin went above and beyond every moment he cared for her. Each nurse we had was great at moments, Kevin was great at every moment. He was always one step ahead in her care, probably at the cost of missing his own lunch or breaks. He knew when to be serious and when we needed to laugh. He asked about our lives and other child. Not only did he take the time to connect with our daughter, but he took the time to learn about us. We felt involved in her care and decisions. He made sure that he advocated for her needs and that we were involved in every decision made.

The doctors work quickly in the PICU, as they have to. When they would leave without explaining things, Kevin took the time to go over all the changes and make sure that we were comfortable and understood every treatment and decision. In moments that were rushed and frightening, Kevin had a way of taking the fear out of the situation and slowing it down so that we could feel like we could breathe.

Kevin was busy when caring for our child. He still took the time to turn on a movie for her when I was busy doing something else. Although she was intubated, he knew it was important for us to have her movies playing in the background. When he wasn’t our nurse, he would still stop by and check on us.

Our daughter wasn’t awake during her care here but we know she would have loved Kevin. He was the type of nurse that any child would love to have. He was attentive, detailed, funny, and caring. I would trust him with my child’s life and that is the highest compliment that any parent can give. When the conversations shifted to comfort care/hospice for our child, Kevin came in and made sure that we were ok. He wasn’t assigned to us but he knew that we would be struggling and he went out of his way to ensure that we knew he cared.