Throughout our entire stay, Karen was a beacon for us both as patients and new parents. Her empathy and kindness were invaluable to us in helping navigate our new lives as parents.

There were many examples throughout our stay that highlighted Karen’s empathy-led approach to nursing, but one in particular that drove us to put forth this nomination. For context, our son was delivered via C-section because of the arrest of dilation during induction.

The first real night with our child, following his delivery, we experienced a BRUE. We awoke in the middle of the night to him being blue in color and not breathing. This was quickly resolved, and the staff on duty were amazing at ensuring he was ok. This was obviously an extremely heartbreaking and terrifying ordeal for our new family.

The following day, we were both exhausted and overwhelmed with anxiety for the health of our child. Karen was back on shift. She was incredibly compassionate about our situation. She helped explain to us in detail all of the monitoring steps that were occurring and even some technical information to help empower us to not be further distressed by the monitoring activities. Beyond this, she also shared extremely kind words with both my partner and me, which showed that she not only took the time to learn about us as individuals but, more importantly, that she truly cared for the well-being of our new family. Without her care and support, I’m not sure how we would have gotten through this situation.

After the BRUE event, we were doubting our instincts and abilities as parents and were in fear for our child’s health. After Karen, we were not only reassured about our child's health but also more confident than ever in our parenting abilities. She made us feel seen and heard, but most critically, understood. I am sure this is no more than another day at work for her, but to us, it meant everything. She is truly an exemplary figure of the impact that healthcare providers can have. We will remember her kindness for the rest of our lives.