September 2026 Honoree
Kali Kitchin, RN
Kali Kitchin always goes above and beyond for her patients, families, and coworkers. In this particular instance, Kali was caring for a family with preterm twins. One of the twins had severe brain injury, and the family elected to move to comfort care. In the afternoon, we extubated her. The family settled into the room to hold her and love on her until she passed.
When Kali arrived for her shift that evening, the family was curled up in 2 recliners, side by side. Mom was getting uncomfortable, so Kali offered to bring in an adult bed instead. The family spent the night together on this bed, with Kali checking on them frequently. She brought them water and coffee, ordered them pizza when they were hungry, and encouraged each of them to take breaks to use the bathroom or go for a short walk. As morning approached and the twin was still with us, Kali noticed that the parents seemed to want to leave the room together for a break, but also seemed afraid to do so and leave their baby alone. Kali offered to hold their baby herself, while they took a much-needed breath of fresh air.
When morning change of shift came, Kali didn't feel like it was in the best interest of this family, this baby, or her fellow nurses to hand this process over most of the way through. She offered to stay past the end of her shift until the baby passed, to continue to support this family and her peers. When the sun came up, Kali asked the family if they would like to take their baby outside for a little while. She called security and had them come unlock the back door to the NICU so they could walk outside privately. She then spent the next 2-3 hours outside watching over them, attending to their needs, while they were attending to their dying baby. Once the family was ready to go inside, she brought them to their postpartum room, so they could spend their daughter's last couple of hours in privacy and quiet, away from the alarms and business of the NICU.
Kali, you not only helped this family survive the day, but you also made it beautiful, comfortable, and meaningful. Thank you for going above and beyond to provide a peaceful experience for this family.
When Kali arrived for her shift that evening, the family was curled up in 2 recliners, side by side. Mom was getting uncomfortable, so Kali offered to bring in an adult bed instead. The family spent the night together on this bed, with Kali checking on them frequently. She brought them water and coffee, ordered them pizza when they were hungry, and encouraged each of them to take breaks to use the bathroom or go for a short walk. As morning approached and the twin was still with us, Kali noticed that the parents seemed to want to leave the room together for a break, but also seemed afraid to do so and leave their baby alone. Kali offered to hold their baby herself, while they took a much-needed breath of fresh air.
When morning change of shift came, Kali didn't feel like it was in the best interest of this family, this baby, or her fellow nurses to hand this process over most of the way through. She offered to stay past the end of her shift until the baby passed, to continue to support this family and her peers. When the sun came up, Kali asked the family if they would like to take their baby outside for a little while. She called security and had them come unlock the back door to the NICU so they could walk outside privately. She then spent the next 2-3 hours outside watching over them, attending to their needs, while they were attending to their dying baby. Once the family was ready to go inside, she brought them to their postpartum room, so they could spend their daughter's last couple of hours in privacy and quiet, away from the alarms and business of the NICU.
Kali, you not only helped this family survive the day, but you also made it beautiful, comfortable, and meaningful. Thank you for going above and beyond to provide a peaceful experience for this family.
Thank you, Kali, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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