Our not-even-two-month-old baby had been transferred to Royal Oak from Troy in the evening because of how bad his RSV had become. We arrived at the PICU, and Rachael immediately made us feel comfortable on what was the hardest night my husband and I have encountered as parents.

The first chance she had, she explained in detail what was happening with our son and what would happen going forward. She explained every bit of his oxygen needs to us and never made us feel silly for any question we asked. She even made sure we knew the best way to ensure our DoorDash delivery would go to the right door, and she even got it for us so neither my husband nor I would have to leave our son's side.

She was always there as soon as I needed her for anything and made sure I was being taken care of as his mom, too. Both nights my son spent in the PICU, Rachael was our nurse, and I have nothing but amazing things to say about the care she provided for my son, as well as my husband and me.

Having your child in the PICU is every parent's worst nightmare, but I never felt the uncontrollable fear on those nights with Rachael taking care of our son. She cared for him so deeply and took care of him as if he were her own. I would never have been able to handle the night when I was alone with my son if Rachael weren't there. She knew I needed rest and tried her absolute best to make sure I was able to get some sleep. She went above and beyond for us, and I will never be able to express my gratitude to her enough.