As critical care nurses in our Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, Stephanie and Karlie are highly skilled at providing the highest level of care to critically ill and injured children throughout our region. However, their care extends far beyond meeting their patients’ physical needs. They recognize that healing also involves restoring comfort, dignity, and a sense of normalcy during an incredibly frightening experience.

Recently, Stephanie and Karlie noticed that after pediatric trauma patients underwent their initial assessments, many were left without clothing to wear while hospitalized or to go home in. Determined to address this unmet need, they set out to build a supply of pajamas in every size for children in the Emergency Department.

Following the success of a toy drive they organized with the Chesapeake Fire Department during the 2024 holiday season, Stephanie and Karlie expanded their partnership by launching a community-wide pajama drive. Throughout May 2025, hundreds of new pajamas were donated by community members at the CHKD Run/Walk, local fire stations, the main hospital, and other collection sites.

Stephanie and Karlie devoted countless hours of their personal time to promoting the drive, collecting donations, organizing, sorting, and preparing the pajamas for distribution. By the beginning of June, they had assembled an extensive inventory, ensuring that the Emergency Department could provide comfortable pajamas to trauma patients whenever they were needed.

While providing pajamas may seem like a small gesture, the impact has been profound. Stephanie and Karlie have given children and their families a sense of comfort, dignity, and compassion during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Their initiative leaves a lasting impression on every family they serve and reflects the extraordinary kindness and patient-centered care that define nursing at CHKD.”