My wife recently gave birth to twin girls. After a very trying pregnancy, which involved emergent specialty care at Johns Hopkins due to concern for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and unexpected early admission to Shady Grove Medical Center, our sweet girls decided to make an early entrance at 32 wk 1 day gestation. I am a physician and this is my wife’s third pregnancy, even still the NICU experience is a daunting one. Everything happened so quickly, and initially, we were thrilled the babies were doing okay after birth but also concerned by the uphill battle ahead and all the NICU entails.

Rachel was the first nurse to care for our girls, and from that moment on, she has been a phenomenal provider, caretaker, resource, advocate, and friend. Words cannot express how grateful we are for her assistance throughout this process, which feels like months instead of weeks. She handles the girls wonderfully and makes everything feel so effortless on our part, like facilitating skin-to-skin or involving us in diaper changes and bottle feeds. She has been fully invested in us and the wellbeing of our girls, which has made us feel at ease and alleviated so much stress in this situation. We’ve spent a lot of time visiting the NICU; it’s our home away from home, and Rachel always makes sure to explain what is happening, such as overnight or recent events or discussions during rounds, as well as help us plan for what is likely to come. She has fostered our highest faith and trust in her in such a short amount of time.

Having children in the NICU is a challenging experience as a parent, and it’s hard to imagine how we would have made it this far without Rachel’s help. She is attentive, observant, highly skilled, nurturing towards our girls, and the ultimate team player within the NICU environment. Once, while we were holding our children, an emergent delivery was taking place, and we heard the attending yell loudly, “Where’s Rachel?!” She popped her head in with a grin and said she’d be back shortly. It didn’t surprise us that she was such an integral part of the team, especially in the most intense moments.

We could give countless examples, but Rachel’s consistent attention to detail has benefited our girls tremendously. She was the first to notice the girls cueing and attempt bottle feeds. She always keeps them comfortable and has reduced spit-up/reflux by changing their positioning. She speaks up during rounds to make sure everyone is on the same page. Anytime an alarm or beeper goes off, she’s there in an instant and knows the issue or what we should do to fix it. We’ve shared so many huge milestones with her like the day they started breathing room air, bottle feeding, and moving to an open crib. She’s earned our trust completely. As a physician, I’ve worked with many skilled nurses and other staff members at highly regarded institutions such as Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins. Rachel is as good as it gets in medicine; it’s really that simple. It’s rare to find her combination of knowledge, experience, talent, and benevolent nature. My wife and I will forever be grateful for her contribution to our girls’ lives in their most vulnerable moments, and it makes us happy knowing she’s spent her career serving other children and families similar to ours. She is a hero.