Emma Yarbrough
October 2025
Emma
Yarbrough
,
RN
NICU
Riley Children's Health
Indianapolis
,
IN
United States
She was our daughter's nurse, our rock, our friend, and later on became family.
My husband and I spent five months in Riley's NICU with our daughter. During this time, Emma was one of our primaries. She has been there for us since our daughter's second night in the NICU.
During our time at Riley, Emma took on many roles for our family. She was our daughter's nurse, our rock, our friend, and later on became family. Emma was a light in some of our darkest times in the NICU. Because of her, it was easier to leave our daughter for the night knowing that she had a competent nurse like Emma to care for her. She always made sure to pop in with a smile and say hi, even on the shifts that she wasn't our daughter's nurse. She helped talk us through the scary times and celebrated the good with us. You could tell that she had a soft spot for our daughter.
There were several times that Emma would reach out to our daughter's care team to see if they could talk to us when she felt like we didn't have a clear enough understanding of what was happening or if we had questions. Because of this, I feel like we were better able to advocate and care for our daughter.
Emma brought laughter and fun to the NICU. She was always up for a good craft and adorable shenanigans. For our daughter's 100 Days, she made her a few old lady crafts and even did a butt print craft to bring a smile to our faces. Even though being there for 100 Days at that time sucked, she made it easier.
Another way she brought that laughter and fun to the NICU was with a unit-wide craft. She planned and helped make a giant fair food banner using a footprint from each baby. With roughly 60 baby's foot prints her and a team of five other nurses turned them into a cute fair food banner for the parents to enjoy. It was proudly hung in front of the NICU receptionist desk, where parents could point out their child's foot to family and friends.
Another way that Emma showed that she cared for our daughter was her dedication to being her primary nurse. There was a crucial care conference that would determine the way our daughter was going to potentially make it home. Emma wanted to be there to support us, so after working a 12-hour shift, she went home for a quick nap and then showed up to the care conference in person. She could have joined over Zoom, but she said she needed to be there for us. After the care conference, Emma walked us back to our daughter's room, and she held me while I cried as the weight of everything set in. Her compassion for her patients and their families is unmatched.
Another great example of this was when we were preparing to get our daughter's surgery and graduate up to the PICU floor here at Riley. Originally, our daughter's surgery was scheduled for late afternoon, and then we would be going straight up to the PICU from the OR. Because Emma wouldn't be able to have her that night, she surprised us and switched to pick up a day shift that day. She didn't have to do that, but she said she wanted to be there for us one last time and to send our daughter off to her new beginning.
Our daughter's surgery ended up being moved to the first case, and we weren't going to be able to see Emma. Emma made sure to come in early so that she could walk us to the OR. While we waited for the surgery in our daughter's NICU room, Emma made sure to check in on us and see if we needed anything. Once our daughter was out of surgery and stable in the PICU, Emma walked us up to our new beginning. She gave my husband and me big hugs while wishing our daughter a bright new future.
Now, as we continue our journey in the PICU, Emma makes sure to still check in on us. Over those five months, Emma became family, and we are forever thankful for her care. She made such a dark time in our lives just a little bit brighter. It was inspiring to see her not only care for our daughter but also for the other babies in the NICU as well. She was always there to answer questions or to be a valuable resource to her fellow nurses, both new and seasoned. Emma truly found her calling as a NICU nurse, and we believe that she is a fitting candidate and very deserving of the DAISY Award.
During our time at Riley, Emma took on many roles for our family. She was our daughter's nurse, our rock, our friend, and later on became family. Emma was a light in some of our darkest times in the NICU. Because of her, it was easier to leave our daughter for the night knowing that she had a competent nurse like Emma to care for her. She always made sure to pop in with a smile and say hi, even on the shifts that she wasn't our daughter's nurse. She helped talk us through the scary times and celebrated the good with us. You could tell that she had a soft spot for our daughter.
There were several times that Emma would reach out to our daughter's care team to see if they could talk to us when she felt like we didn't have a clear enough understanding of what was happening or if we had questions. Because of this, I feel like we were better able to advocate and care for our daughter.
Emma brought laughter and fun to the NICU. She was always up for a good craft and adorable shenanigans. For our daughter's 100 Days, she made her a few old lady crafts and even did a butt print craft to bring a smile to our faces. Even though being there for 100 Days at that time sucked, she made it easier.
Another way she brought that laughter and fun to the NICU was with a unit-wide craft. She planned and helped make a giant fair food banner using a footprint from each baby. With roughly 60 baby's foot prints her and a team of five other nurses turned them into a cute fair food banner for the parents to enjoy. It was proudly hung in front of the NICU receptionist desk, where parents could point out their child's foot to family and friends.
Another way that Emma showed that she cared for our daughter was her dedication to being her primary nurse. There was a crucial care conference that would determine the way our daughter was going to potentially make it home. Emma wanted to be there to support us, so after working a 12-hour shift, she went home for a quick nap and then showed up to the care conference in person. She could have joined over Zoom, but she said she needed to be there for us. After the care conference, Emma walked us back to our daughter's room, and she held me while I cried as the weight of everything set in. Her compassion for her patients and their families is unmatched.
Another great example of this was when we were preparing to get our daughter's surgery and graduate up to the PICU floor here at Riley. Originally, our daughter's surgery was scheduled for late afternoon, and then we would be going straight up to the PICU from the OR. Because Emma wouldn't be able to have her that night, she surprised us and switched to pick up a day shift that day. She didn't have to do that, but she said she wanted to be there for us one last time and to send our daughter off to her new beginning.
Our daughter's surgery ended up being moved to the first case, and we weren't going to be able to see Emma. Emma made sure to come in early so that she could walk us to the OR. While we waited for the surgery in our daughter's NICU room, Emma made sure to check in on us and see if we needed anything. Once our daughter was out of surgery and stable in the PICU, Emma walked us up to our new beginning. She gave my husband and me big hugs while wishing our daughter a bright new future.
Now, as we continue our journey in the PICU, Emma makes sure to still check in on us. Over those five months, Emma became family, and we are forever thankful for her care. She made such a dark time in our lives just a little bit brighter. It was inspiring to see her not only care for our daughter but also for the other babies in the NICU as well. She was always there to answer questions or to be a valuable resource to her fellow nurses, both new and seasoned. Emma truly found her calling as a NICU nurse, and we believe that she is a fitting candidate and very deserving of the DAISY Award.