My son has been so fortunate to have such AMAZING nurses in the PICU! They truly all have a gift. I especially would like to take the time to highlight our nurse Hayley, whom we were fortunate enough to have for 2 days. She truly made a positive and healing impact on our lives. Hayley Shea made a special connection with our son right from the start. My son was on a ventilator and had an NG tube, arterial vein IV, PICC line, and a chest tube. Unfortunately, he is also a very interesting and rare case since he is currently undiagnosed and has had many medical and hospital visits. Our nurse Hayley did not waste any minute and took the time to read through his long medical file and really got to know my son’s medical history. She asked my husband and me clarifying questions, which I happily answered, and I provided her with more insight. She can see through the sadness and pain in our eyes and so she took the time to try to see how she can make us feel better. She asked how she could help us or what would make us feel more at ease while she was here. She made us feel comfortable to be open and sincere. I told her about my fears and what I felt would make my life a little easier. I gave her a list of my needs as a parent and what I would like to have before I got discharged. I thought I’m going to be here for possibly another week so maybe during the week some of those needs can be met. She got them all done in the 2 days she was with us and got the ball rolling in the right direction. I honestly cried tears of relief and joy. I was so grateful to her and I will always remember what she did for us and the impact she made in our lives.

She was able to help me consolidate all the medical information into 2 pages which makes it easier for me and others to understand my son's medical needs and what he has been through medically before digging into his long medical file. This is definitely going to be useful for when I travel or even just to explain to his teachers or his school nurse tech or my friends and family. It is clear, concise, and informational. It makes it easier to understand who he is medically in a screenshot.

Furthermore, she connected me with doctors, the social worker, case management. Dietician, Child life, the chief of Hematology (this made my day, since I’ve been wanting to talk to this doctor and she made me feel so at ease with the new medication we would potentially start), provided resources and so much more.

Hayley was always so thorough in rounds and always made sure all our concerns were addressed. She always had the best interest of my son in mind. Hayley, has a gift and she definitely goes above and beyond her normal job duties. I will always be eternally grateful for all of the hours she put in to help my son and me and for taking such great care of him. She treated him as if he were her son. She was always so caring, patient, gentle, empathic, compassionate, loving, and super thorough. She always took the time to explain everything to us and answer all of our questions.

I’m so happy she was the one who got to see my son go off the ventilator. We celebrated with joy in our room. Furthermore, if you know my son you will know his anxiety goes up significantly when he sees a needle or when you remove all the taping around an IV or simply anything. She was tasked with the removal of the arterial line, NG tube, weaning of meds, starting food, and getting him up from bed and moving. I knew my son would give her a challenge, but she did so well with him by explaining everything to him and making him feel more at ease. She basically came down to his level and did things at his speed no matter how long it took. She definitely has patience, but she did not give up and she was a champ at all of the things. She got him to take some steps and always made sure to celebrate every small step he took. She was more than my son's nurse, she was his friend and our friend.

Thank you, Hayley, we will be eternally grateful to you. You keep impacting lives and making a positive difference in them. Because of your advocacy, and all the resources you provide or referred to us I feel less anxious for when we become discharged I feel a sense of relief of where I need to go from here in terms of my son's undiagnosed condition. Thank you and thank you to all CHOC staff! THANK YOU!