My daughter was hospitalized for 13 days. During the stay an NG tube was placed to start enteral nutrition. My daughter is a strong 17 year old who typically is a level headed trooper when it comes to any medical procedure or physical ailment. But, on the first night with the NG tube, my daughter was not only extremely tired due to lack of sleep for 10 days, but was experiencing complete discomfort with the tube. The normally level attitude had turned into exhaustion and begged me to have the physician take the tube out. As a parent, I knew she would acclimate to the tube-she just needed a day for her body to adapt to it. And I also knew her exhaustion was getting in the way of her dealing and thinking clearly. With the help of nurse Kristen Hirst, we were able to compassionately talk my daughter to calmness and dealing with the tube discomfort. It took quite a while but nurse Kristen was a champion talking to my daughter about Taylor Swift and their joint love for the artist and her music. This distraction and shared love for the artist really helped my daughter immensely and helped my internal broken heart. My daughter was then able to calm down. Kristen spent quite a bit of time with my daughter and didn’t give up or disregard my child’s feelings. The nurse also suggested my daughter try melatonin, a natural relief to enable the possibility to fall asleep despite the discomfort of the tube and her ongoing pain that brought her to the hospital in the first place. She explained it’s a natural product and not another drug she’s putting into her body. My daughter is all about natural and healthy living so this explanation was spot on. That night my daughter was able to get some sleep which was a first in many many days. Kristen happened to be my child’s nurse the next day and she brought my daughter some Taylor Swift stickers from her own personal collection. These stickers and Kristen’s ability to connect with a child despite an awful experience was over and beyond what any parent or patient would have expected. Kudos, hugs, and gratefulness can only begin to describe Kristen’s abilities. Also, these stickers were kept on my daughter’s bed side for the remainder of her 13 day stay bringing smiles to her tough journey. Now my daughter has them on her bedroom bulletin board just above her desk. Those stickers are held dear to my daughter as is Kristen, a Diamond of a nurse!