My son received a TBI nearly two years ago, and he was admitted to Bethany Children’s a few months later. When he arrived, he was only semi-conscious. Over time, he slowly started becoming more aware of where he was, and eventually, he began speaking and carrying on conversations again.

Because I had to work, I was only able to be with him on the weekends. Every single weekend when I arrived and asked how his week had been, the very first name out of his mouth was Garrett. He would tell me everything he and Garrett talked about during the week, and he proudly told me, along with anyone else who would listen, that Garrett was his favorite.

I called every night to check on him, and whenever Garrett was the nurse for the night, I could count on getting a detailed, thoughtful recap of his entire day. He explained everything in a way I could understand, and he always asked if there was anything I needed. He made this Momma feel so much better about leaving her child three hours away by himself.

The conversations Garrett took the extra time to have with my son were not the typical “How are you feeling?”, “Do you need anything?”, or “Are you OK?” They talked about real things, about what he wanted to do as a career and what he liked. Conversations that friends have.

My son left Bethany to take the next step in his recovery, and he has told me more times than I can count in the past week that he misses Garrett. Garrett did his job incredibly well, and it was obvious that nursing is more than just a job to him.

He made a lasting impression on my son at a time when Braylon needed it most. I will forever be grateful for the extra time, compassion, and genuine connection Garrett gave him during his stay.