Julia Tartabini
May 2026
Julia
Tartabini
,
RN
Labor and Delivery
University of Virginia Health
Charlottesville
,
VA
United States
Julia handled them with so much tenderness and respect. She helped create memories for my family by making footprints and arranging photos.
During the most devastating moment of my life, Julia Tartabini's care went far beyond what I ever expected from a healthcare professional. I was admitted to the hospital while pregnant with my twin daughters, L and R. Everything happened suddenly and unexpectedly.
My water broke early due to an infection, and within a very short time, my pregnancy turned into a heartbreaking loss. Throughout that entire experience, Julia never left my side. She treated me with a level of compassion, patience, and humanity that I will never forget. She did not treat my daughters like a medical case. She treated them like the babies they were and treated me like a mother who was losing her children. She spoke gently, explained things when I needed them explained, and simply stayed with me when words weren’t enough.
After my daughters were born, Julia handled them with so much tenderness and respect. She helped create memories for my family by making footprints and arranging photos. She even dressed my daughters in colors that ended up being my fiancé’s and my favorite colors, something she didn’t even know but meant so much to us. In the middle of the worst moment of my life, she helped make sure my daughters were treated with dignity and love.
When my daughter R passed away in my arms, Julia was still there with me, offering comfort and support without ever making me feel rushed or alone. Her presence helped me survive a moment that no parent is ever prepared for. Healthcare workers see people on their best days and their worst days. For my family, this was our worst day. But because of Julia, my daughters L and R were treated with kindness, respect, and compassion, and I was given the support I needed in a moment of unimaginable grief. The medical care was important, but the humanity she showed mattered just as much. I will carry the memory of her compassion with me for the rest of my life. She truly embodies what it means to be a nurse for the extraordinary care she provides to patients and families during their most vulnerable moments.
My water broke early due to an infection, and within a very short time, my pregnancy turned into a heartbreaking loss. Throughout that entire experience, Julia never left my side. She treated me with a level of compassion, patience, and humanity that I will never forget. She did not treat my daughters like a medical case. She treated them like the babies they were and treated me like a mother who was losing her children. She spoke gently, explained things when I needed them explained, and simply stayed with me when words weren’t enough.
After my daughters were born, Julia handled them with so much tenderness and respect. She helped create memories for my family by making footprints and arranging photos. She even dressed my daughters in colors that ended up being my fiancé’s and my favorite colors, something she didn’t even know but meant so much to us. In the middle of the worst moment of my life, she helped make sure my daughters were treated with dignity and love.
When my daughter R passed away in my arms, Julia was still there with me, offering comfort and support without ever making me feel rushed or alone. Her presence helped me survive a moment that no parent is ever prepared for. Healthcare workers see people on their best days and their worst days. For my family, this was our worst day. But because of Julia, my daughters L and R were treated with kindness, respect, and compassion, and I was given the support I needed in a moment of unimaginable grief. The medical care was important, but the humanity she showed mattered just as much. I will carry the memory of her compassion with me for the rest of my life. She truly embodies what it means to be a nurse for the extraordinary care she provides to patients and families during their most vulnerable moments.