Our 1-year-old daughter had an emergency eye surgery at NY Presbyterian Children's Hospital after complications from an original eye surgery the day before. Watching our 1-year-old undergo two surgeries in two days was very difficult. Sara was her bedside nurse before and after surgery.

Upon meeting us, Sara quickly saw how worried and drained we were. Our daughter was relaxed and snuggled in my arms. When Sara approached my husband and me, she asked how we were doing. This seemingly small act showed us that Sara wasn't in a hurry to whisk our daughter away to her second surgery (even though it was late in the evening). She genuinely cared about our story and what brought us to this moment. Sara introduced us to the anesthesiologist and helped us through the questions and information. She made us feel confident in the whole staff and procedures.

After our daughter's surgery, Sara was with her at the bedside. Instead of awkwardly standing over us as our daughter slept off her anesthesia, Sara engaged us in conversation for an hour or so. She learned about our families, we learned about hers, she offered us refreshments to keep us comfortable, and she explained the recovery process for our daughter.

We left the Same Day Surgery Unit around midnight, which was probably a later-than-normal shift for Sara. We returned for another emergency eye surgery two days later... although Sara was not there that day, one of the nurses said Sara had mentioned us and asked how our daughter was doing. Knowing Sara had thought of us after we had left that night showed her compassion, professionalism, and love for her patients.