Hello, our names are J and K and we wanted to share our gratitude for a couple of exceptional nurses who truly went above and beyond for our family as we navigated 129 days of hardships in the NICU. In June, we found out we were pregnant with Quintuplets, after 10 years of trying! We knew this journey wasn’t going to be easy and we were filled with mixed emotions but excited for our future. K spent a couple of weeks at Riley as she developed severe preeclampsia at 22 weeks pregnant. Our goal was to get to 28 weeks. At 24 weeks and 2 days, our Quints were delivered as K’s body rapidly started shutting down. We discovered our son B no longer had a heartbeat and he was stillborn. It was a struggle to comprehend the death of our son and celebrate the birth of our other four children. We live almost three hours away from the hospital and it was a struggle to be present for our babies in the NICU and our three other kiddos at home. Often times K and I would see each other in passing or spend a night or two together at the hospital but it was important that one of us was at the hospital every day.

At about three weeks of age, our daughter B was discovered to have NEC. She was moved to a different part of the hospital and underwent surgery. She ended up passing away due to her injuries. This really blindsided my wife and I. We planned our second funeral and painfully walked the halls of the hospital and cared for our other three children still in the NICU.

One day we were notified that our son L was not doing well. He appeared to have caught a virus and was struggling with his vitals. That weekend we were staying at a hotel in Indianapolis and I stayed the night at the hospital with the kids. I went back to the hotel early morning and then we received a call that we needed to get to the hospital right away, that L was not doing well and they feared there was not much time left. My wife rushed to the hospital and held him immediately. L only responded to us holding him. While in our arms, his heart rate would return to normal as well as his blood pressure. The second we would put him down for us to switch holding him, his vitals would drop drastically and he would start to turn blue. Once in our arms again, he would return to a stable condition. Nurse Makayla had always been around during our stay but it was during this time that we became more like family. I remember Makayla coming to the front desk and walking me and our three kids back to L's room, where my wife was already at. At this time the hospital had a strict visitation rule due to RSV season and kids were not allowed back in the NICU. She got this approved for us and it allowed our three kids to meet L on this side of heaven, while he still had a heartbeat. This was very important to us. Makayla held my wife as we cried on the couch trying to comprehend what was happening and the thought of losing our third child was imminent. She cried with us, she acknowledged our hurts and encouraged us to keep going.

Makayla also had a strong love for our children in the NICU. A love that went above just coming to work and going home. She truly cared for them. She was there when our other L boy opened his eyes. She immediately grabbed the big picture of K we left at the hospital so he could see his Mama first. Other nurses would tell us they never got a chance to have L because he was “Makayla’s boy.” This gave us such peace that somebody loved our babies this much. She went above and beyond for them to make sure they received the absolute best care they could get. Whether it was getting L's pacifier for the 10th time or holding his hand because he was having a rough day and giving them a pep talk, or telling A how beautiful and strong she is, it didn't matter, they were getting the very best care from Makayla.

She would sit and read all the books we had lying around to the babies. Makayla made TONS of crafts with our kids with their hands and feet. Crafts that we have framed and hanging on our wall at home. She made an alphabet book with crafts of their hands and feet as well, complete from A-Z! It is the coolest book I have ever seen. She bought our three older kids birthday gifts and contributed to their Christmas gift that the hospital gave us. She celebrated their 100th day of life with us as well. She was their biggest cheerleader. The day L got extubated, Makayla did not have him but she came over to be there and celebrate that moment. She gave K a hug while she cried for the millionth time in that NICU. Makayla also reassured my wife and me on multiple occasions that we were doing a great job as parents and how remarkable my wife was for providing all of the breast milk for our kids. She encouraged us and truly carried us through some of the darkest moments of our life.

Makayla deserves to be awarded on so many levels. Her passion for her job and the love she showed our family is something we will never forget. Ultimately my wife and I took L and A home after four and half months in the NICU. Makayla was the one to discharge as well. It went full circle and we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. We would have never made it those 129 days without the love and compassion shown by Nurse Makayla. Our family will forever be grateful for her and will always consider her family now!