Kaleigh was quick to establish care and comfort for N to ensure he was stable in his condition and comfortable to begin treatment. Soon after, she shifted her focus to my wife and me, educating us on the nature and severity of his illness as well as the treatment plan moving forward, established by Dr. L. Her warmth of delivery, coupled with her ability to simplify very complex concepts, brought relief in an extremely stressful situation. For my wife and me, it was the little, often unspoken and frequently unnoticed in the heat of the moment things about the nurse that assured us N was in the best hands. The small pauses before leaving the bedside to triple-check every connection, hose, and sensor. Taking the extra moment to ensure he was comfortable in the swaddle and physically observe body language for discomfort. The one last pat on the chest or rub of the forehead in a silent moment between the two of them, reassuring him that he was in good hands. To my wife and me, this did not go unnoticed. We were fortunate enough to have this nurse on the night shift our first night as well as the following night.

During that night, everything was going status quo from the night before. N was struggling, but she helped him every step of the way to make progress. Things were going quite smoothly, and everyone was in high hopes he may be turning a corner. In most people, this leads to complacency. This nurse, especially on this night, is not like most people. In that seemingly unnoticeable pause a moment before she left his bedside on a busy night, she noticed the most subtle head movements in N that indicated he may be destabilizing. In this moment, there was no hesitation. This nurse leaned into her training and intuition to take control of the situation to once again stabilize him. She called in Dr. L and the Respiratory team to further evaluate. After what seemed like hours, likely just minutes, new chest x-rays were performed, and Dr. L adjusted the treatment plan that eventually aided in a quicker recovery process for N. This likely would have been identified later, but the fact that it was her attention to detail and care for the patient that enabled her to identify the issue before it became a larger issue.

Once the dust settled in the wee hours of the morning, this nurse took the extra time to explain what had happened, why it happened, and what the new care plan was going to be. The situation was handled so well that we didn’t even know in the moment how touch-and-go the situation could have been. For that, we will forever be grateful. As new parents, the value that this nurse provided in care for not only our son, but us as scared new parents facing one of the hardest things a parent can go through. She embodies what it is to be a DAISY Nurse.