I was extremely blessed to have Sydney for five shifts during our stay! Four shifts in a row early in our stay, and then one day the day before we left. My daughter, H, was admitted at 10 months old with toxic shock. Not a great prognosis- my husband and I were terrified. After a few days, I started imagining what life would look like without H. I can’t even write this without crying. Things were so bleak, we were scared and exhausted, we were living with whatever we could get from thrift stores and the Meijer close by- we had left our house without a moment’s notice. I found a lot of comfort in our nurses. These men and women were with us 24/7. H was intubated, so they could never leave the room. I feel like it should also be said that with toxic shock, the nurses had to gown up completely- gown, gloves, and a mask at all times! This has to be difficult to do for 12 hours! Sydney never complained, not even a sigh. I never saw any form of discomfort from her. She seemed completely focused and completely dedicated to my daughter’s health the entire time I was with her. Mind you, I hardly left the room. Sydney seemed to be one of the only nurses who was proactive in her care. Not to say the other nurses didn’t do their jobs! That simply was not true! But during rounds, I would hear Sydney give her extremely detailed report with utter confidence and then make her own suggestions as to what she felt my daughter needed. If H seemed uncomfortable or if she was moving too much under sedation, Sydney was sure to mention what she thought needed to happen. I’m sure many who read this will say, “Yeah… that’s kind of her job.” Sydney was different, though! She was an advocate for my daughter. I can advocate all I want, but my education isn’t in the medical field- there’s too much I don’t understand. I will be forever grateful for Sydney- FOREVER- and I’ll never forget, for the rest of my life, how much of a difference she made during our stay. It only felt right that the day before we were discharged, Sydney was shadowing our nurse for the day. I’ll never forget Sydney- it will be years down the line and I’ll still remember her face as a woman who helped to save my daughter’s life. That’s something you just never forget.