If you had to relinquish the title of momma bear to someone outside your family, Cheryl would be the prime candidate. We were beyond blessed to have been under her care for several nights in the PICU. She received us and checked on all of us with genuine concern. She was a constant voice reminding us that everything was going to be okay. She listened to our daughter as if she were the head honcho in town. She did everything in her power to expedite procedures to ensure our daughter could eat and get to sleep at a decent time so that the fasting and early wake-up call for surgery would be less harsh. She was always tender in her care of our daughter as if she were one of her own. She made our daughter a special “Cheryl shake” and stored it in the freezer for her to have once she was able to eat again after fasting for a procedure – something she could have ignored or passed off for the next person to tend to. She got in front of anyone who was disturbing our daughter’s rest unnecessarily – something I did not feel confident in advocating for her myself. It was such a relief to know that she was there which allowed us to actually rest a minute when things were quiet. Cheryl regularly reminded us gently and lovingly to take care of ourselves so that we would be able to take care of our daughter. Cheryl worked tirelessly to educate us along the way about the different procedures, medications, and options available. She did so much to prepare us to take our child home when the time came. We came to know her not just as a nurse but she was obliging in answering our questions about herself and her family which brought such a different level of comfort to our interactions. She truly became like family. Cheryl was continually working to bring joy into our room be it through yummy treats like her “Cheryl shake” or letting her indulge in chocolate milk and mac n’cheese before her fasting cutoff (knowing full well that she may have to clean up since vomiting was an unfortunate symptom) or bringing in stickers or coloring books or extra warmed blankets or tracking down colorful surgical caps to help my daughter’s concerns about her craniotomy incision being visible. My daughter had this to say: “Cheryl was the best nurse ever because she makes the best milkshakes and she was a great help to keep me happy and running and she is so kind and she cheers me up and keeps me going when I am sad and she was one of my favorite nurses and she was very sweet to me.