Words cannot begin to describe how much Ellie (Elisabeth Ciesick) meant to my family as our daughter was in the NICU. Our daughter was on earth for only six days. These days, while filled with sweet moments with our daughter, were incredibly hard, filled with difficult conversations and a hard reorienting of the life we had been so looking forward to with our sweet daughter.

We are so thankful that Ellie was our daughter’s nurse on three of those six days, including the day she passed away. Her kindness and generosity in this incredibly difficult time were not only appreciated but also made the heartbreak survivable. She was always a positive light to my wife and me, as well as to our multiple family members.

Ellie not only demonstrated love for her job as a NICU nurse but also demonstrated love toward our daughter and our entire family. While our daughter was so sick, it felt nearly impossible to be away from her. However, with Ellie there, we knew that she was in good hands, hands that loved her almost as much as we did. Although we had only just met Ellie, we could trust her with our daughter, and because of that, we were able to leave the NICU for naps and food.

Ellie sat in with us during care team meetings. Her quiet presence and full support of our family meant so much. On the day that she passed away, Ellie was incredible. She was patient, kind, and gentle. She checked in on us constantly but not too much, making sure we had what we needed. She nudged us to eat and to drink. She offered additional assistance for my wife for breastfeeding cessation.

Following our daughter’s passing, Ellie helped us mourn and say goodbye to our baby. She helped us bathe our daughter and demonstrated the highest amount of respect for such an intimate procedure. She assisted us in some memory making such as creating little handprints and footprints, clay molds, and photos. She was there with us while we mourned and shared her favorite memories of her to help us in the grieving process.

When we went to pack up our belongings from the Ronald McDonald House, Ellie offered to stay with our little girl. It was only after we had finished gathering our belongings that we realized Ellie was holding her and continuing to show her love for our daughter in such a compassionate and beautiful way. It symbolized that our little girl was never alone. We cannot express how much this meant to us.

When the time came for us to say our goodbyes in leaving the hospital, we realized that Ellie had stayed hours past when her shift ended. Ellie continued to stay, allowing us to leave the hospital, a task which felt nearly impossible, knowing that our daughter was being treated with love, dignity, and respect.

Her calming and caring presence during a devastating time needs to be commemorated. Ellie is the type of nurse that all nurses strive to be: someone who brings healing even when physical healing is not possible. Someone who is there in the very worst moments and shows the very best side of humanity.

And yet, as we type this, we know that we have done a poor job in capturing just how special Ellie is to us. We have only the very best things to say about Ellie.