Jessica Welsh, BSN, RN

Jess is one of the most amazing nurses I have ever met and have had the pleasure of being trained by her in the NICU. She has a way of caring for infants, from the biggest to the smallest, while comforting their parents and reassuring them that their baby is safe and loved, even when they can't be at the bedside. Toward the end of my orientation, our baby was extremely sick, requiring pressors, blood, dopamine- you name it. As this was my first truly critical situation with such a small being, I was terrified. Jess reassured me through the entire night while teaching, caring for the baby and family, and communicating with the medical team. As if training someone isn't hard enough, she did this under duress and kept a level head throughout and genuinely listened to every question/concern I had.

Our baby unfortunately had a pulmonary hemorrhage, and she ran to the medical team's office without a second thought when I said there was blood in the ET tube. She was taking a turn for the worse, and we wanted mom to be able to hold her baby before she passed. Watching Jess work with both RT's to bring baby with every line, including the oscillator, and place her on mom’s chest was the most heartbreaking and heartwarming sight I have ever seen. When the baby passed away in mom’s arms, she immediately set up the outside room so the baby's parents could stay with their infant before saying goodbye, which included a beautiful keepsake box for the parents to eventually open when they felt ready.

I have dealt with a lot of sad situations coming from the Medical/trauma ICU, but to have someone by my side who was reassuring and comforting through this night will always stick in my heart. Jess, you are the strongest, most truly golden-hearted nurse I have ever had the pleasure of working with. You give your whole heart to each baby you come in contact with, even when situations are difficult. I wouldn't feel as comfortable as I do now if it weren't for your guidance and support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making one of the saddest moments of my career less scary and for leading me through it. I still have the "e" charm on my badge and carry it with honor, because together we guided the baby and their parents through a life-changing event and gave them a fraction of peace of mind that their baby was loved through their short life.