Over our one-month stay in the PICU, Sam is one nurse who will always stand out. Sam performs every task, no matter how big or small, with such attention and care. As a nightshift nurse in the PICU we realize how many critical tasks she is responsible for and no matter how busy she might be, she always made sure we were aware of what was going on even if it was as simple as a diaper change, Sam always let us know what she was doing.

Sam also had this ability to connect with our daughter, which was no easy task, especially on nightshift. Sam always approached her so gently and was so patient. Having to care for a toddler during a critical time is no easy task and Sam went out of her way to gain the trust of our daughter in order to make sure she was able to care and assess her. She knew exactly how she liked her bottles, the songs we sang to get her back to sleep, and how to comfort her after an early morning lab draw.

Sam also didn't realize the impact she had on us as parents. For the first few weeks in the PICU we were so nervous it was hard to even sleep at night with Sam there was a sense of trust and comfort we knew she was in good hands and we also knew Sam would always update us if there was anything concerning going on. Sam knew her so well she picked up on very subtle changes in her assessments and vital signs that made a big difference in her care. There was one night Sam took care of her, and as we were getting our morning started after Sam's shift had ended she was asking for her bottle, we looked around the crib to prepare it but we couldn't find it. We quickly realized Sam had cleaned all of the bottles and sippy cups so they would be ready for the morning. This is the type of nurse Sam is, always going way above and beyond and doing anything to make sure her patient and their families are taken care of. The attention and dedication Sam gave to our child is something we will never forget and we hope she knows how grateful we are for everything.