We came to the PICU late on a Friday night. My husband had been here with my daughter while I was getting discharged from the regular floor with my son. When my husband finally got a bed with my daughter they went to the floor and were informed she needed to go to the PICU. They got a crib here around 2am. Tired, stressed, and worried, Carol set them up and made them feel like everything was going to be ok. One nurse told me that we were going to get Carol and she was the best! And boy was she right. I stayed here that night with my daughter and she started to crash. Carol took the information I was giving her, called on her own knowledge and experience, and knew what to do. She didn’t freak me out but knew the situation was serious. cool, calm, and collected she knew to call Doctor.

As a group, we discussed what was going on and our best course of action. I was freaked out, upset, and felt very alone at that moment. Carol saw that on my face and just touched my hand on the bed. She didn’t make me feel silly or stupid for being upset or draw unnecessary attention to me but saw I could use support. It said I’m here for you, you got this, and I got you! That was the little push I needed. She let me be as involved as I wanted to be (which I wanted to be involved in everything) but also recognized when I needed a break and told me to sit down, or sleep, etc. She explained everything she was doing and why. She let me talk about whatever, whenever I needed. She is the type of person everyone should try to be like, nurse or not. I and my daughter instantly bonded with her.

The next morning, I called home and told my whole family about her. One of them is a retired ICU nurse and she said, “she is one of the good ones”. You can tell Carol is loved by her staff and by our family. We will be requesting Carol anytime she is on. She has made this traumatic experience a little easier. Thank you for doing this award. From the wife of a first responder, these people have been through enough and deserve to know we care.