I just wanted to bring to the forefront the absolutely incredible actions of Nicole Leathers, one of our phenomenal ICU nurse managers.  Those of us who have the privilege of working with her on a daily basis know just how lucky we are, but what I witnessed her do on Friday made me stop in my tracks.
 
We had a very sad death of a 7-week-old in the unit on Friday. This little guy was his parents' first baby, and it had been a long 7 weeks of ICU care from his birth onwards, with many ups and downs, an ECMO run, and ultimately a transfer from New Orleans to us for a higher-level of PH care. Unfortunately, he got septic from an infection, and we could not stop the spiral.
 
As one can imagine, his parents were distraught, and his mother, in particular, was struggling to process what had happened.  She was sitting on the couch, holding her deceased son, looking so lost and broken. As many of us know, Nicole experienced a tragic loss years ago, and has always been open about it.  I watched her Friday share her experience with this family, using it to help guide them through an impossible situation, showing a level of vulnerability, love, compassion, warmth, and caring that left me in awe. She validated their anger, grief, sense of loss, and inability to see a path forward; she let them know what had happened was not fair nor something they had to see a purpose in just yet; she let them know it's okay to set boundaries and take care of themselves first and foremost while they just try to breathe; she let mom know it's okay if she can't handle seeing her friends right now who have infants around the same age because those who love her will give her the grace and space she needs; and most importantly, she let them know that there will be a light at some point, no matter how overwhelming things may feel right now.  I watched the parents literally begin to take regular breaths again because of her words, and you could see their bodies relax a bit as she spoke with them.
 
I was so incredibly lucky to be present for this conversation, and it will forever change how I practice. I will be better because of the example Nicole set for me that Friday afternoon.
 
People like Nicole don't come along every day, and TCH is incredibly lucky to have someone like her. These words don't do justice to what she did, but in a time when everyone is stressed, burned out, and finding it hard to give that little extra, Nicole most certainly does this regularly, with Friday being even more incredible than her baseline!