Alice Hyde’s Emergency Department is one of the hospital’s busiest places – particularly during cold-and-flu season. But for one Malone family and their infant daughter, who ended up there twice in a period of several weeks, the stress of managing a congenital condition that had turned life-threatening was made more bearable by the dedication and compassion of Registered Nurse Kimberly Burgess. The night was filled with anxiety, as the parents listened to the high-pitched, wheezing breaths of their infant daughter, "Q". The family was preparing to celebrate Q's first birthday in just a few weeks’ time. But on this night the parents were filled with worry for Q.  Not because they didn’t know what was happening. Lyrngomalacia, a usually-temporary defect of the voice box that can partially obstruct a person’s airway, runs in the family and the couple was familiar with the warning signs. But because it is nearly impossible to predict how serious the condition’s effects will be. “It creates anxiety for sure. At first, when we saw it with our first child, it was a lot harder, because we didn’t know what to expect. Still, every child is different, so at some level, you don’t know what to expect" the dad stated. What they did know was when to get help for Q. So in the early morning hours, Q's mom brought her daughter to Alice Hyde’s Emergency Department (ED), where they would first meet Kimberly Burgess. While she watched over her daughter and Alice Hyde’s ED care team worked to treat Q, Burgess focused not just on the infant's inability to breathe properly, but on her mother as well. “She (Kimberly) was in our room just about every ten minutes, checking on us; making sure that someone was watching Q if we needed to go get anything, playing with Q if she was awake, and pushing the doctors to do more. I think that’s what really kept Q alive.”  her dad stated. What might have been a routine-if-anxious ED visit turned life-threatening hours later, when Q's oxygen levels began dropping – a process known as de-satting — and she became unresponsive. “One minute she was awake, and the next she just crashed. I don’t know how to describe that feeling. I just felt like my heart … I never would have thought that would happen. God knows what would have happened if we had been at home" her dad added. Q was ultimately placed on high-flow oxygen before being air-lifted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont, where she would spend the next 4 to 5 days receiving care. Q's mom, writing about her experience in Alice Hyde’s ED that day, recalled Burgess pressing one of the hospital’s pediatric care bags – a package of toiletries and other items meant to help parents manage what is often a hectic, stressful and unplanned trip — into her hand before she boarded the helicopter with Q. “She did a lot of things that were not necessary to my daughter’s care, and I can’t tell you how much that meant to me,” Q's mother wrote as part of her DAISY Award nomination. “It made the environment as less stressful as it could be. I will never forget it.” About two weeks later the family relived nearly the same series of events after Q once again began to have difficulty breathing. This time, they spent eight or nine hours in Alice Hyde’s ED with Q — who did not require a ventilator this time — before traveling to the Medical Center’s PICU via ambulance. Once again the family mentioned, Kimberly Burgess was at their bedside at Alice Hyde, as soon as she clocked in for her shift later that day. “It was great to have someone closer to home know what to look for. She was ready to go and help go the extra mile for Q.” Once in Vermont, Q was diagnosed with Rhinovirus — the main culprit behind the common cold. The virus caused Q's body to produce phlegm, which had become stuck in her lungs, causing her to need oxygen. The family ultimately spent several more days in the PICU, so Q could be monitored until she was breathing normally. For the parents, the ordeals — and Burgess’ dedication to their family’s well-being — are a reminder of how thoughtful, compassionate gestures can have an outsized, positive impact on even the most stressful and chaotic situations.  The dad added “It’s just as important as the clinical side of things. Being in that situation and still having the chance to regroup and deal with our feelings, so we could come back and be strong for the kids — that’s because of Kim. What I saw is that when you’re in the ED and you need their help, they will go the extra mile for you and your kids.”