I am not sure where to even start with this nomination, so I am just going to give a little backstory. My daughter has had a lot of serious health issues throughout her life. We were told at an early age that it would be difficult for her to get pregnant. Given the news, she had kind of avoided babies her entire life and had convinced herself that she did not want children. In April of last year, our daughter got married, which was huge. Actually, every major life event with her has been huge because at one point in time, we were told that due to her health issues that she was going to end up mentally handicapped or dying. That is a whole other story, though. Moving on, 2 months after her wedding, she found out she was pregnant. She was shocked and terrified to say the least. I, of course, was ecstatic and overwhelmed with getting to see my daughter as a mother, something I never thought was possible. Her first appointment in OB was with Elles, who told her about Chrissy Honig, the new nurse midwife. Elles called Chrissy and had her come to introduce them. Immediately, my daughter and Chrissy hit it off. Chrissy was so compassionate and reassuring to my daughter and put her at ease almost immediately.

Throughout my daughter's pregnancy, she had quite a few issues that led her to come in for observation, overnight stays, and an infusion. Chrissy was there every single time, reassuring my daughter and holding her hand when needed. She was a huge support to not only her but me. My daughter’s preeclampsia led her to need to be induced at 37 weeks. She was devastated because Chrissy was not going to be there during that time. On January 22nd at 36 weeks, my daughter became symptomatic with her preeclampsia and was admitted and induced. Although it was not ideal, Chrissy was going to be there, and that was exactly who she needed. Due to her seizure history, she had to be put on Mag, which was rough. Again, Chrissy was there every step of the way. We were all scared, but Chrissy talked us through everything and was so encouraging to all of us.

Together they made a plan, and my daughter tried to stick to it. Unfortunately, she was having issues with her epidural and was having extreme pain on the right side. On January 24th, she decided she could not do it anymore and asked for a C-section. Her nurse immediately called Chrissy, who showed up within minutes. Chrissy talked to her about her decision and asked if she could check her one more time as she knew my daughter wanted a vaginal delivery. Chrissy checked her, and she was complete and ready to push. Chrissy had been up all night with my daughter, and this was shift change, but Chrissy stayed when my daughter asked her to. It was amazing the way she coached and encouraged my daughter throughout the delivery. She has said multiple times that she doesn’t think she would have been able to get through her pregnancy without Chrissy. I know better than that, as my daughter is a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for, but having Chrissy helped tremendously. She and Chrissy built a special relationship throughout the experience. I have had the pleasure in my position at the hospital to be involved in multiple deliveries with Chrissy, and I see that she has a great relationship with all of her patients. She goes above and beyond to make her patients feel heard and at ease during a very stressful and exciting time. I cannot thank her enough for what she did for my daughter and what she continues to bring to our community. Our organization and community are truly blessed to have her.