Where do I start? From day 1 our son was delivered and immediately taken to the “nest” area for high-risk babies. I was able to follow him and witness the team, and how they worked with him. Andrea was the nurse working with our son the entire time he was in the nest, not once leaving his side. I had never met anyone in that room before, so I didn’t know what everyone’s “title” was. From my point of view, Andrea was the one running the show. Not once did she raise her voice or give off any inclination that she was under pressure. I was in awe of how fast and smooth this process was going, and Andrea was a major reason for that. She worked diligently with her co-workers and saved our son’s life! I truly believe our son would not be alive today without Andrea.

After the “nest” area he was moved to the NICU and Andrea followed him there and continued the 1:1 care. As a parent, I had so many different emotions going through my mind and my heart during this time, but something that stayed the same was the confidence and comfort I felt knowing that Andrea was there. We asked Andrea to be a part of our son’s primary care team and with a smile she said yes. Every time I saw her, I felt relief and had a peace of mind. I knew that no matter what happens, or any scenario that could occur, she would be able to handle it with her superior clinical skill set. This made life in the hospital much easier when she was around because we never worried about alarms, buzzers and dings that can be so stressful to a parent.

After a couple of weeks, Andrea knew that I had to return to work, and had not been able to hold my son because of the medical procedures that had been continually going on. She came to me and said “you are not going back to work without holding your son.” She brought this up to the lead doctors and specialists saying “dad needs to return to work tomorrow so we need to make it a priority for him to hold his son”. That day, Andrea gathered the Respiratory Therapist, another nurse, and between the 3 of them, lifted our son and put him in my arms. It brought tears to everyone’s eyes in the room. It will also be one of the many memories in my life that I owe to Andrea. Andrea deserves more than we could ever give her. She handles all of the every day tasks as a nurse with ease, and what makes her great is her heart, mind, skill set and attitude toward her patients. She gives them exceptional care! Andrea Lindstrom is the true definition of The DAISY Award!”