There was a very young patient who came into the hospital for cancer treatment. While originally supposed to start outpatient, his prognosis worsened very quickly, and he required care in the ICU. While in the ICU, Veronica and Lauren handed off to one another over the course of several days. When I think about all the compassionate care they provided, I think it truly made such a huge difference. Veronica and Lauren explained things so thoroughly to the family. They made sure that the family was involved and understood everything that was going on. And while the patient did require a lot of physical work, both of them made sure to leave time and space for all the emotional work with the family.

Both nurses were calming, provided shoulders to cry on, and ensured that the family never felt alone or in the dark. Veronica and Lauren even changed their schedules around so that they could continue care for this patient. They were all in when it came to their investment in this patient.

When the patient's condition changed, both nurses showed so much heart for the family. Grieving with them and letting them know how truly sorry they were. I know that the family and the patient were lucky to have these two nurses care for them. I think that so often in these critical situations, we can forget that caring for the families is just as important as caring for the patient (and in some of these touch-and-go situations - even more so). I know that both of these nurses felt deeply for this case and went well above and beyond the call and think that they should both be recognized and celebrated for that.