Courtney D Franklin
October 2025
Courtney D
Franklin
,
BSN, RN
NICU
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Chicago
,
IL
United States
Courtney is family to us after this experience. She is truly here for the babies and does everything she can to make sure they get the very best care.
Our daughter was 2.5 months old when we transferred to Lurie from an outside hospital. She came with a raging infection we didn't know about, an undiagnosed neurological condition, and physical differences. All of these things made my husband and me incredibly anxious and fearful of how people would handle her. She was a particular girl who needed gentleness and love in her care.
Courtney was the first nurse we had had in 2.5 months who found ways to communicate with our daughter despite her differences. Before suctioning her, she would tell her she was going to suction her, and then very gently put the suction catheter to her lip for a few seconds to let her know what was coming. It made the suctioning, which she needed frequently, less traumatic and scary for her.
Our daughter also needed gentleness and patience in her care because of her physical differences. Courtney took her time and never rushed through anything, which helped keep her calm and helped the entire process go smoothly. Throughout her care for our daughter, she was kind, loving, and thoughtful with my husband and me, too. She recognized the unimaginable situation we were in and did everything she could to take care of us and reassure us that we didn't need to be anxious or fearful when she was there because she was going to follow our daughter's lead while also letting us do as much as we could to care for her ourselves.
She made the quality of our daughter's life with us better than ever before. We gave her long baths and washed her hair. We massaged her body, sat her up in bed, and held her for hours on end when Courtney was there. At the end of my baby's life, Courtney sat with us, held me, and cried with me while we said goodbye to her. She then stayed past her shift to help us bathe her, dress her, and take her body down to the morgue because I couldn't bear the thought of someone who didn't know and love her taking her out of my arms forever.
Courtney is family to us after this experience. She is truly here for the babies and does everything she can to make sure they get the very best care. Our lives were forever changed by her.
Courtney was the first nurse we had had in 2.5 months who found ways to communicate with our daughter despite her differences. Before suctioning her, she would tell her she was going to suction her, and then very gently put the suction catheter to her lip for a few seconds to let her know what was coming. It made the suctioning, which she needed frequently, less traumatic and scary for her.
Our daughter also needed gentleness and patience in her care because of her physical differences. Courtney took her time and never rushed through anything, which helped keep her calm and helped the entire process go smoothly. Throughout her care for our daughter, she was kind, loving, and thoughtful with my husband and me, too. She recognized the unimaginable situation we were in and did everything she could to take care of us and reassure us that we didn't need to be anxious or fearful when she was there because she was going to follow our daughter's lead while also letting us do as much as we could to care for her ourselves.
She made the quality of our daughter's life with us better than ever before. We gave her long baths and washed her hair. We massaged her body, sat her up in bed, and held her for hours on end when Courtney was there. At the end of my baby's life, Courtney sat with us, held me, and cried with me while we said goodbye to her. She then stayed past her shift to help us bathe her, dress her, and take her body down to the morgue because I couldn't bear the thought of someone who didn't know and love her taking her out of my arms forever.
Courtney is family to us after this experience. She is truly here for the babies and does everything she can to make sure they get the very best care. Our lives were forever changed by her.