I went into early labor at 31 weeks and my son was born via c-section at Cleveland Clinic Martin North. I am reaching out to you because I feel like one of the nurses who took care of my son deserves all the recognition available. When I saw the DAISY Award information, I knew this had to be done!  

I am 39 years old, my husband and I had a stillborn son in 2021. We had our rainbow baby in 2022 and were fortunate enough to become pregnant again in July 2023. We were elated but also scared. After dealing with a stillborn loss at 25 weeks, your heart is never the same. The joy of pregnancy comes with much more stress, anxiety, and so much fear. 

I had my 22 month old at Martin North and really enjoyed the experience at your hospital. We live in Fort Pierce, but when we had an issue or a scare, we drove by a couple of nearby hospitals to go to Martin North. I felt more comfortable there, and just had this feeling that I needed to be at that hospital. Once I met Nurse Diane in the NICU, I just knew that she was the reason I needed to be there.  

I've heard people say things like, "Wow, that guy was meant to be a police officer, or she was made to be a chef!" But I have never felt that way myself. Until I met Nurse Diane. Every one of the nurses in the Martin North NICU is absolutely amazing. They all took such good care of my son and my family while we were there. But Nurse Diane is second to none. She is compassionate and intelligent, and her empathy knows no bounds, and the comfort I felt knowing she was taking care of my baby was paramount. Never in a million years would I have ever thought I would be okay leaving my baby in the NICU after birth. I didn't think it was possible.  

I cannot say enough about Nurse Diane. She is irreplaceable. Once my surgery and recovery were finished, I was rolled into the NICU to see my son and meet his caretakers. Your mind at that point is mush. After the stress of losing our son in 2021 and giving birth the next day to a stillborn, I was in complete shock that exactly 3 years later, my water would break at 31 weeks. I was beyond scared and worried. I could barely think. Diane was joyful, confident, and informative. She was kind and gentle, but also explained to me everything that was being done for my baby. She expressed the importance of breastfeeding and pumping ASAP, every 3 hours, so my milk would come in. She was able to get me out of my headspace and understand that though I felt helpless, I was not. There was something I could do to help my son develop and come home. Diane was able to be very stern with me in the most gentle and caring way. I feel that Diane went above and beyond every day. When she was there, my son would progress. Whether it was off the CPAP, the bed warmer would be turned off, the feeding tube moved so he was more comfortable, and his mouth was available to learn to eat.  

Every time I would walk in I would be there every day, and I was greeted with kindness and love. She would immediately explain the progress in detail, then allow me to hold my son and bond with him. I feel like I have so much more to say about her. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or need any information. We brought our son home recently and I am just now getting to this! Our lives are so crazy busy with 2 under 2, but everyone needs to know. Someone was looking out for me and my family when I was adamant about driving all the way to Stuart while in labor. I knew we would be okay there, and I was so grateful when I met Nurse Diane.