My son was a perfectly healthy 17-year-old boy until he was admitted to the pediatric floor with the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. He had a quick hospitalization, and we thought he was on the road to recovery, as is normally the case with this diagnosis. Unfortunately, he never fully recovered. We had an extremely terrifying situation where my son had to be rushed to the ER. He was in the most pain I have ever seen a human being in and was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis again and a complication of a very large pancreatic pseudocyst. He was transferred again to the pediatric unit. He had a high level of pain until he had a successful procedure two days later. As a mother, I felt helpless as I watched my son suffer.

During our entire hospitalization, we received excellent nursing care. There is a particular nurse that will forever hold a special place in my heart. That nurse is Johnna. Johnna was our admission nurse, and we were fortunate enough to have her back again the following night prior to his procedure. Not only did Johnna attended to all of my son’s needs quickly and efficiently but Johnna also displayed a level of compassion towards my son that was exceptional. Although we were unable to fully relieve his pain prior to the procedure, she did everything she could to bring his pain level as low as she possibly could. She also recognized how scared I was and provided me with support and comfort that I desperately needed. As we anticipated being discharged before her next shift, I hugged Johnna and thanked her before going off the floor for his procedure. I let her know the impact that her nursing care had made in our lives.

Unfortunately, my son had a setback and was not discharged on the original anticipated date. He improved and knowing that Johnna was back I requested that she be assigned to him because I really wanted her to see how he looked when he was out of pain. I wanted her to know that she was one of the key factors that led to his recovery.

While I can never thank Johnna enough for what she did for my son and our entire family, I hope that by nominating her for this award, I can show her the profound impact she has made on our lives. She definitely chose the right profession, and I know she will continue to have the same impact on other families throughout her career. Thank you so much, Johnna!