Our sweet daughter was admitted to Banner University NICU after sustaining a severe anoxic brain injury at some point shortly before birth. She was transported via ambulance to Banner from Prescott Valley (approximately 1.5 hours away from home) and her father followed her to the hospital while I (mom) stayed behind to heal from the emergency c-section.

Immediately upon admission, her care team became our literal angels on earth. When her dad came into the NICU, he was immediately met by Joan and Melissa, who carefully walked him through the next steps medically with his new baby girl. They encouraged him to hold her hand, read to her, and comfort her as she was medically cooled.

Following Joan and Melissa, Lily continued to support Robert, making sure he had a listening ear and an encouraging voice throughout the second night he was away from his family and me. Each of them also provided exceptional care and attention to our daughter as she remained on the cooling therapy. They all made sure to quickly respond to machine alarms and call lights, lessening stress in the room.

Once I joined my husband in Phoenix, we were given the devastating news that our daughter would not recover from her injury, as it had damaged most, if not all, of her brain. As we struggled to process something no parent should have to, our nursing team rallied around us and our extended family.

We elected to attempt organ donation with her, which was a completely new pathway for doctors and nurses in the unit alike. The nursing team expertly balanced the delicate yet demanding course of testing required of donation patients with our need to be close to and care for our daughter.

Ashley and Alexa brought us crafting supplies, including footprint and handprint cards. They made decorations for her door and surprised our extended family with adorable keepsakes that we will cherish forever. They also encouraged us to hold her for the first time and attend to her needs, including diaper changes, mouth care, and hair washing.

Caylie helped us choose a funeral home through personal experience with one that had particularly caring staff. Caylie also came in on her day off to follow up with us and meet with our doctors, and made sure we were as involved in our daughter's hourly care as we could be.

Kim surprised us by organizing an entire care team to take her outside at night to the Healing Garden while the statue outside was lit up pink in honor of her and her journey. This allowed us to see the stars with our precious girl. Kim then walked us to the top of the tallest tower and allowed us to look at the garden from high above, showing us we could see the pink lights from every tower on campus.

Jessica and Lindsey took casts of her hands and feet and helped us take professional photographs with the help of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.

Katie took us outside during the daytime with our daughter and let her feel the sun on her face for the first and only time in her short life. Katie also decorated the cast of her feet. Katie and Lindsey helped us through the process of removing life support and helped her remain comfortable as we said our goodbyes over a few hours. Katie also played with our 3-year-old son at the hospital while my husband and I followed the hearse to the funeral home.

As a team, they made our daughter hair bows and helped us put them on her head. They found her adaptive preemie clothing she could wear so we could dress her in more than a diaper. They helped us bathe her to get the medical smells off her skin and gave us donations of toys and blankets to decorate her bed with. And they made sure she was attended to constantly so we could shower and eat and take care of ourselves.

I know for certain I am leaving out hundreds of small acts of kindness they performed for us throughout the course of our stay, and possibly even forgetting a few names of our care team. I cannot express how impacted and grateful my family is for the care we received while in the NICU at Banner.

I will always miss my baby girl, who went to heaven in the NICU, but I will never forget the kindness we were afforded by our care team.