On my first pediatric death case, Meg was called in as the second PICU nurse. The patient was extremely sick with bacterial meningitis. The parents had tried to have a baby for years and this was their only child together. The mother and father were incredibly upset, and Meg was empathetic and explained what was going on during the entire process. As a new nurse, seeing Meg and the Resource Nurse handling the critically ill patient crash and maintaining their composure with grace and ease was inspiring. Meg worked well with the team and maintained a calm demeanor and presence the entire time. She never made me feel I was a bother to her during a critical situation. She also made me feel comfortable coming to her with questions when I was nervous about asking.

This patient always sticks out in my mind as a difficult day because it was my first pediatric death, but it also sticks out because there could have been a very different feeling to the day if it weren't for the positive attitude, the compassion towards the family and to me and her ability to remain an educator under pressure.

Meg has continued to be a caring, compassionate nurse through my years of working with her and has continued to lead the unit with a positive attitude and a servant's heart. She has a gift for educating nurses. As my time at Cape Fear draws to a close it is important for me to recognize the nurse I most want to be like.