We had to take our one-year-old to the ER due to difficulty breathing (every family’s nightmare). She is our first and only child, and this was the first time she sent us into a scare. You can imagine the panic we were in, nonetheless. Fast forward to the middle of the night after the shift change, and we met Cruz. He was FANTASTIC. He was so sweet and kind to our daughter and us. He took the time to listen, talk with us, and update us on the process to transfer our daughter to Duke. He continued to check in on us and gave us updates on the results of her tests and X-rays. I asked him if he had a long shift ahead of him, and he said he actually wasn’t supposed to work, but he knew they were short-staffed and came in for a few hours to try and fill the gaps. To know that he has his own family and children at home, and he came in to help on a holiday, meant the world to my family because he was exactly what we needed at that moment. He kept asking what he could do for us and explained things in ways that we could understand. He took our daughter’s vitals in a way to make sure she didn’t wake up because he knew she needed sleep. His bedside manner kept us going in what seemed like a very long night in the ER. We are so very thankful for him.