If Jenna knew I was nominating her for a DAISY, she would say, "Oh no. I was just doing my job." There are so many reasons that Jenna deserves this award, but I will just tell you about my experiences with her. To put it simply, to know Jenna is to love her. Jenna is not only a wonderful nurse to her patients and their families, but also to everyone that she comes into contact with here at Children’s Mercy. She has innate empathy for every patient and family that she cares for.

Jenna goes above and beyond every single shift to make sure her patients and their families are receiving the best care and make sure they feel heard and seen. I have had the unfortunate pleasure of working with Jenna during multiple end-of-life situations and with very complex children who are some of the sickest in the hospital. Each end-of-life situation that I have worked with her on, she always leaves me in awe. It is hard to put words together to make you understand what Jenna provides for these families. Jenna makes sure that every want/need of the family is addressed during this time. She does every craft and memory item that you can think of to make sure that these families get to take a piece of their baby home with them.

The families that I have cared for with Jenna were both in situations where their baby was delivered at Fetal Health and were so ill that they hardly had any time or peaceful moments with their babies in the short amount of time they were alive. It's the little moments and the simple pleasures of looking at their baby and holding them, not attached to anything, that these families are deprived of, which makes Jenna's actions that much more important and meaningful. She makes sure that they get the opportunity to help with any cares, such as oral care, giving a bath, and washing their hair. In one situation, the patient's mother had never held her baby during his short life due to the severity of the patient's illness. Jenna helped that mom feel comfortable enough to hold her baby after his death. The mom of this patient was so grateful, and those are the only peaceful moments with her sweet baby that she will remember.

Most recently, Jenna and I cared for a family that was originally from out of state but was stationed at a nearby military base. This patient had a very complex congenital heart defect and had already undergone two heart surgeries and was not even a month old. This baby eventually needed to be placed on ECMO after a code event. This was this family's first baby, and they fought with him until his final moments. The days that Jenna and I cared for them were extremely heavy and emotional. It seemed there was no single positive thing that other team members or we could report to the parents.

As Jenna and I were working, doing everything we could for their baby, we could see and feel their hearts breaking in the back of the room. This family eventually received an update from the team that the baby would not be able to survive without life support. This patient's mom was devastated. She softly cried in the room for hours, and she and the patient's dad just held each other on the couch. This mother had been homesick, and she really missed her mother and wished that she were there. As she stood by the bed staring at her baby and at all the tubes, cords, and machines hooked up to her little boy, she wept. Jenna walked up to this patient's mom and did the most powerful yet simple thing. Jenna said to her, "Sometimes you just need a hug. Would you like a hug?" The patient's mom didn't say a word and just fell into Jenna's arms. They held each other by the bedside until the patient's mom let go.

Every time I have told this story to anyone, and even now as I type it up, it brings tears to my eyes and gives me chills. In this moment, Jenna gave this young mother what she wanted and needed most. A hug from her mother, even though her mother couldn't be there in that moment. It was so impactful to that mom that the next day, when the mom went to leave the room, Jenna asked if she would be back before the shift change, and the mom assured her that she would be. Jenna said, "Okay, well that means that you can escape a Jenna hug for a little longer then." The patient's mom turned around, put her bags down, and said, "Actually, I would take an extra one right now." She walked over to Jenna and embraced her. In that moment, you could tell how much the hug the day before meant to her. Speaking from experience, Jenna's hugs are truly top tier.

Jenna made the family's last days and moments with their baby as meaningful and peaceful as possible. She not only cared for the patient to the best of her ability, but she truly cared for this family, and I don't think that mom will ever forget the hug that she received from Jenna that day. Being able to work and learn from Jenna has made me a better nurse and a better person. She is selfless and kind and everything else that makes up what it means to be a DAISY Award Honoree. Jenna is the role model that you want every new nurse to be able to learn from. The NICU, ECMO Team, and Children’s Mercy are blessed to have Jenna. If the world had more Jennas, it would be a better place.