In February I arrived at triage due to decreased fetal movement. I was 32 weeks, 5 days pregnant. While there, it was confirmed that our beautiful boy’s heart had stopped. After we were admitted and our first nurse’s shift was over, Cynthia Piraino took over our care. She was compassionate and understanding of our situation. She was with us the next day when my child silently entered the world. The following day, she wheeled me out the back entrance, with a teddy bear in my hand that I believe she provided. When we left, she told us to remember that my husband and I will grieve this loss differently and to allow ourselves the space to do that. That advice was so impactful to me, especially during the early days of our grief.
On my child’s due date, Cyndy, along with our son’s two other nurses, spent the whole day at our home with us. They gave us a butterfly bush to be planted in our garden, with Cyndy even being the one to dig the hole and plant the bush. This way our son could send little butterflies to visit us.
When I had a scheduled C-section with my twin daughters in August, Cyndy was there in the OR with me. She was one of the first to hold my daughters, just like she was the first to hold our firstborn, only 18 months prior.
When I had another C-section with our last child; Cyndy came in on a morning she wasn’t scheduled to work, to be there in the OR. When my son was taken to the NICU in respiratory distress and I forced my husband to go with him, Cyndy was there wiping away my tears and reassuring me that everything was going to be okay, while my procedure continued.
Cyndy is one of the only 9 people in this world who has met all four of our children. She has been there over the past 7 years, always remembering our first born's birthday and keeping in contact with us. She is truly an amazing person. I am so grateful for her and the role she has played in my family’s story. Words can’t adequately convey how much she means to us.