It is every parent's worst nightmare to see their child sick and need admission to the hospital. Unfortunately, this past Saturday, my daughter got hit pretty hard with Croup and could not rebound on her own. This brought us to the Peds ED early Saturday afternoon, which was a stressful and emotional time for me, my husband, and my daughter (C).

Brittany was one of the first smiling faces we encountered after being taken into her room in the Peds ED. She remained calm and greeted C with a big smiling grin while quickly working in the background to get her assessed and triaged. Without even skipping a beat, she had C's vitals obtained, her lungs assessed, and all the information needed before C even had time to register what was going on. Shortly after a breathing treatment was ordered, Brittany came back loaded and prepped with the necessary toys to distract C from what was about to occur. She was gentle, calm, and encouraging, and she kneeled in front of C and me for the entire breathing treatment to help keep C calm and distracted to ensure she was getting all the medication from the treatment. For the duration of the 10-15 minutes she was in our room assisting, she made me feel like we were the only patients in the department. After the treatment, C needed to be monitored for 2-3 hours to make sure the medication was working effectively. After about 90 minutes, C's respiratory distress symptoms returned, and she needed another breathing treatment. Again, Brittany came and helped distract C and kept us both calm for the entire treatment. Throughout the entire afternoon, she constantly checked on us and was so supportive. When I needed something to eat, she walked me to the cafeteria so I didn't have to worry about ringing to get back into the department. When I needed to pee, she held C and took her around the department to distract her so she wouldn't be upset. When her shift was over, she made sure to come say goodbye, provide hand off, and wish us luck.

We often say it is the nurses who are there for patients' best times and worst times. It is the nurses that make a difference during a patient's stay. I can, without a doubt, say that Brittany made a lasting impact on me, and I will never forget the kind, compassionate, and knowledgeable care she provided. It is the little things and details that make a difference, and she didn't even think twice about doing them. As stressful as the situation was, it was so refreshing and reassuring to know that we were truly in the best of hands having Brittany as a nurse. Brittany is more than deserving of a DAISY Award for the extraordinary care she provided not only C, but me as well - we will forever be grateful!