In April, I was admitted to the OB unit for monitoring because of decreased fetal movement, and it was quickly determined an urgent caesarian section would be needed. In the span of just a minute or two, I was informed that my baby needed to be born now (35 weeks). There appeared to be issues with her heart/lungs, and she would need to be transferred to a larger NICU immediately. Jess was assigned to be my nurse at that time and to prep me for surgery. I was in complete shock and I was terrified. Jess treated me with the utmost care and compassion during this prep time. She let me ask her all the questions I could think of, even some personal, and she confidently answered every one. She was reassuring and made me feel I was in the right hands and that my daughter was/would be too. In the OR, Jess held my hands while I got the spinal. She knew I was alone and terrified and was extra caring and explanatory of everything that was happening. As a nurse during the C-section she was cool and confident. Listening to her speak with the doctors gave me great confidence in my care. Afterward, Jess made sure I got to go into the room where my daughter was prior to her transfer so that I could make sure I got to see her, name her, etc.

My husband went to Des Moines with our daughter immediately, so I was alone post-surgery except for Jess. She was kind, caring, and empathetic to my situation, and she continued to keep talking about my daughter and how cute she was. Jess made me feel like a mom and that the birth of my daughter was still something worth celebrating, even though I was all alone without my baby.

My daughter ended up passing away two days later. I know Jess was greatly impacted by this. Jess's care and support for me has continued beyond the time she clocked out of her shift as my nurse that night. I think Jess is incredibly deserving of the DAISY Award. To me, Jess is everything a nurse should be: confident, caring, kind, personable, compassionate, skilled, committed, and outstanding. When I witness Jess in her work, I am confident she was made specifically for her job. She exemplifies what it means to provide extraordinary care with a lasting impact. I look back on this day, and I know Jess's care positively impacted what were otherwise the worst moments of my life.