Our six-year-old son, D, has been at Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) since October 2021 with Erin assigned as his primary nurse. D has been at KKI for 10+ months now and over that time Erin has come to know D better than anyone else on the floor. She is compassionate, kind, loving, smart, dedicated and is always going above and beyond what is needed for D. She is an extraordinary nurse that has helped make our experience at KKI positive while dealing with the most difficult situation in our lives as D’s parents.

D is probably the most complex child currently at KKI. He has always had special needs but was self-sufficient before he had an emergency surgery that lead to his arrival at KKI for rehab. D is now quadriplegic, vent dependent with an ostomy & vesicostomy, and requires a feeding tube and TPN for his nutrients. The cares involved on a daily and weekly basis are enough to overwhelm the most seasoned of nurses and Erin has never shied away from it. D’s situation is so complex that the usual textbook answers are not always the most effective way to manage D’s care and Erin is constantly demonstrating critical thinking to solve care challenges with practical solutions that we will be able to implement at home once he is ready to come home.

Erin is always going way beyond when it comes to teaching us and the other nurses on the floor how to address D’s most complex cares, even when it means staying late to help the night nurses change an ostomy bag dressing, troubleshoot TPN or change a broviac dressing. Erin creates an environment with all the other staff that assists with D’s cares from the Respiratory Techs, Nurse techs, Doctors, and therapists where everyone wants to be a part of D’s care team and everyone strives to go above and beyond. One of the most important things for D at KKI is making it to his physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and playroom events on time. To do this successfully, Erin is always working to make sure D’s cares are scheduled not to interfere with his therapies which are often scheduled at different times each day. Oftentimes, putting a priority on supporting D’s therapy schedule creates extra work for Erin. She is always prioritizing all of his needs from a “big picture” perspective, even when it adds to her nursing workload. For example, if D is napping she will figure out a way to do his cares or reschedule them as appropriate to allow him to continue to sleep. The same is true when Erin prioritizes D’s therapy sessions.

Erin also does those “little things” that are not required but make a huge difference for D. For example, D likes to watch videos on the computer screen the Nurses use to document their cares and while it may seem small, Erin always works as quickly as possible to use the computer so she can put the screen back to the video he was watching and it makes a huge difference to D that he gets his TV back ASAP.

Erin has shown our family so much compassion, empathy, and love. She is very reliable and trustworthy. On the days Erin is with us, the day always goes so smoothly and D is the happiest. Not only that, D is always ready, on time, looks great, and is in the best mood. Although D’s medical cares take a long time to do, Erin always manages to add a personal touch. D’s clothes match, his hair is combed, and he has Mickey Mouse with him when he is ready to start his day.

She is very detailed oriented and always finds a way to communicate with him when something hurts or he is upset. D has a limited vocabulary of 20 or so words with little mobility so Erin has really had to get to know him so well to solve his issues when he complains. Recently, the KKI therapeutic center planned their first outing for patients – a trip to the movies to see Minions in Baltimore, Erin stepped up and volunteered to go with him so he could get a break from the rehab facility. She came in that day and made sure all her other patients were taken care of so she could go to the movies with D to ensure he had a good time.

She always goes above and beyond our expectations. In addition to taking great care of our son, she is very compassionate and empathetic to D’s caregivers. She is always asking how we are doing and makes sure we rest and take frequent breaks. She has trained us on all of his cares, especially the complex ones that include the broviac dressing changes, Ostomy dressing changes, and G tube changes. She also took the initiative to develop a home schedule for us months prior to our needing it in an effort to get us ready for when D goes home. Erin is an exceptional nurse and exemplifies the values of the DAISY Award. We are so thankful to have her as D’s primary nurse.