I am writing to tell you about my night with Ashley-Mae in the hopes that you can somehow recognize how amazing she is. Besides being the most organized and helpful charge nurse that I am grateful to work with, she is also one in a million with little kids, as evidenced by the story I am about to share with you.

Tonight, we had an unaccompanied minor toddler who was found walking in Morris Township alone at 03:30, in pajamas, on a busy commercial street, brought in by police and EMTs. She was very shy, unable to speak to any of the 5 EMTs or 2 police officers who brought her here. Ashley got down on her knees and just began to chat with her. She got a few toys, and within minutes, this shy, afraid child was talking, laughing, and playing. Ashley has an amazing gift of kindness and gentleness of spirit, and her child-forward attention and passion shine through in everything she does here. She is truly someone I admire and have been greatly impacted by during my time here in your ER. I hope you will somehow let her know how precious she is. She really is a shining example of what pediatric nursing is all about.

This is not the first time that Ashley has done this. We had two children who were here with their mom, who was a psych patient. The children wound up being admitted to the peds ED for social reasons. Ashley comforted them, settled them in for bed, and bought the dinner (through door dash because it was late at night). She cared for those children as if they were her own.