My son L is 5 years old and does not like hospitals due to spending a lot of time in them as a child. L is non-verbal and has level three autism. With that diagnosis, giving him care can be quite difficult, as he does not tolerate touch well. Upon getting to the emergency room, I informed Noah that L has autism. Noah took his time, gained L’s trust, and was able to appropriately care for him without causing L to have a meltdown. He bonded so well with my child that my child allowed Noah to listen to his heart and lungs, stayed sitting in the bed, and even reached out to Noah at one point.

The reason we are nominating Noah is because of his compassion for the job that he does, his understanding of a child with a disability, his ability to understand an autistic child and provide care at a pace that the child is comfortable with, as well as provide education to myself, his mother, to help find ways to get my son to take fever reducing medication. Noah is very deserving of this award. L and I do not usually have positive experiences in hospitals due to his regulations and needs, but today was an experience my son needed to be able to trust doctors and nurses.