Cindy Loayza Auqui, BSN

My 3-year-old son had to be admitted to the hospital for breathing difficulties due to his asthma. This isn't the first time he's been admitted for this, so we knew the drill. Unfortunately, the pediatric unit was full, so we had to be put in an ER room. The space was tight, but Cindy did everything in her power to make not only my son comfortable, but also me.

She told my son everything she was going to do before she would do it and got him things to distract him to help with the parts that were hard for him, like getting an IV and suctioning his nose. She checked in with me frequently and brought me water and extra pillows and blankets without me even needing to ask and made sure I was remembering to take care of myself so that I could take care of my son.

She comforted my son when he was upset about the things they needed to do to help him, and told him it was okay to cry and even yell if he needed to.

She's truly a special nurse.