September 2026 Honoree
Lillie Crawford, BSN, RN
My son stayed in UMC's Burn ICU for exactly one month. In that month, Lillie Crawford quickly became one of our favorites. Her attention to detail, genuine kindness, and calm demeanor were just a few of the qualities that not only helped my son (and us) get through a tough season, but also made the evenings something we looked forward to, hoping she would be our night nurse.
Lillie quickly learned that my son was a huge Hudson Westbrook fan, and she made it a point to engage him in conversation about the musician, favorite songs, and concerts that they had each seen. She also figured out that my son was a huge hat collector (so is she!) and loved rope caps. During one of her shifts, she brought a maroon Hudson Westbrook rope cap with her to gift to my son. There are a few reasons this hat was beyond perfect and so intently chosen by Lillie...our school colors are maroon, it had his favorite musician on there, it was a rope cap, and the icing...it was from Lillie's personal collection. It meant the absolute world to him, and to all of us! She simply gave him the cap and didn't make a big deal about it, but it truly brought so much joy! He still wears that cap proudly and lovingly.
As if that act of kindness wasn't enough, Lillie really went above and beyond one evening when our son was getting prepped for another surgery the next day. After several surgeries up to this point, he became increasingly nervous with each one. Lillie immediately noticed how quiet he was that evening and that something more was bothering him. Our son had a favorite blanket while he was in the hospital, and this particular evening it had become pretty dirty from his wounds earlier in the day. I told him I was going to wash it the next day, and didn't want it on him. He confessed that he was nervous about his surgery and really wanted his favorite blanket with him. Without any hesitation, Lillie took his favorite blanket home with her when she got off that shift, washed it, and brought it back to us so that he could have his favorite blanket with him in surgery. I was in tears! The joy and comfort she gave to my son just before he had another surgery- no words can say thank you enough! I know our stay in the hospital was certainly made better because of Lillie, but I can also guarantee she changed our lives for the better!
Lillie quickly learned that my son was a huge Hudson Westbrook fan, and she made it a point to engage him in conversation about the musician, favorite songs, and concerts that they had each seen. She also figured out that my son was a huge hat collector (so is she!) and loved rope caps. During one of her shifts, she brought a maroon Hudson Westbrook rope cap with her to gift to my son. There are a few reasons this hat was beyond perfect and so intently chosen by Lillie...our school colors are maroon, it had his favorite musician on there, it was a rope cap, and the icing...it was from Lillie's personal collection. It meant the absolute world to him, and to all of us! She simply gave him the cap and didn't make a big deal about it, but it truly brought so much joy! He still wears that cap proudly and lovingly.
As if that act of kindness wasn't enough, Lillie really went above and beyond one evening when our son was getting prepped for another surgery the next day. After several surgeries up to this point, he became increasingly nervous with each one. Lillie immediately noticed how quiet he was that evening and that something more was bothering him. Our son had a favorite blanket while he was in the hospital, and this particular evening it had become pretty dirty from his wounds earlier in the day. I told him I was going to wash it the next day, and didn't want it on him. He confessed that he was nervous about his surgery and really wanted his favorite blanket with him. Without any hesitation, Lillie took his favorite blanket home with her when she got off that shift, washed it, and brought it back to us so that he could have his favorite blanket with him in surgery. I was in tears! The joy and comfort she gave to my son just before he had another surgery- no words can say thank you enough! I know our stay in the hospital was certainly made better because of Lillie, but I can also guarantee she changed our lives for the better!
Thank you, Lillie, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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