Zachary Radcliffe
January 2026
Zachary
Radcliffe
,
BSN, RN
PICU
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston
,
SC
United States
He advocated for our son when he was in pain, made sure our son stayed comfortable, and kept lines and leads away from 15-month-old grabby hands.
I want to write this as if my 15-month-old son, the patient, were speaking about Mr. Zach, and after that, I would like to say a little something on behalf of my wife and me.
Per what I feel my son would say about Mr. Zach:
From the time I got my boo-boo and entered Mr. Zach’s care, I felt comfortable and knew this guardian angel had my back. No matter how bad I was, fussing and in a mood, he made it better by giving me medicine that I didn’t want to take and fought him on, and he still stuck through it to make sure I was getting better. He advocated for me when I was pulling on my catheter and wanted it out, made sure I stuck to my treatment plan, and helped my mommy and daddy when they had questions on how to help me. When they needed a small break in my hot room, Mr. Zach stepped in and made sure I didn’t feel alone. He treated my burns softly so I wouldn’t hurt as badly, and even when it hurt, he kept treating faster and worked super hard so we could get through it. I felt comfortable with Mr. Zach, and he made my mommy and daddy comfortable knowing they had such an amazing healthcare professional on their son's side—I had a cool guardian angel.
From my wife and me:
The attention and time Zach spent on our son’s care and the effective communication of treatment plans were above and beyond. He advocated for our son when he was in pain, made sure our son stayed comfortable, and kept lines and leads away from 15-month-old grabby hands. He pushed for exceptional care by communicating with the team members and doctors, and if he didn’t know the answer, Zach almost immediately called or paged someone who did.
Coming into this, we were scared and knew we had an uphill battle in healing due to the severity of our son's injuries. But Zach stayed on point and up to date, and, despite his own needs, he was there not only for us but for others who needed his healing hands and compassion.
As parents of a medically complex child, the patient’s sister, we have been in and out of hospitals and surgery centers for 3 years in different hospital organizations and met hundreds of doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals. Zach was literally the best example of nursing and care you could ever give anyone. No one before him has ever set the bar so high on care for those in need.
Per what I feel my son would say about Mr. Zach:
From the time I got my boo-boo and entered Mr. Zach’s care, I felt comfortable and knew this guardian angel had my back. No matter how bad I was, fussing and in a mood, he made it better by giving me medicine that I didn’t want to take and fought him on, and he still stuck through it to make sure I was getting better. He advocated for me when I was pulling on my catheter and wanted it out, made sure I stuck to my treatment plan, and helped my mommy and daddy when they had questions on how to help me. When they needed a small break in my hot room, Mr. Zach stepped in and made sure I didn’t feel alone. He treated my burns softly so I wouldn’t hurt as badly, and even when it hurt, he kept treating faster and worked super hard so we could get through it. I felt comfortable with Mr. Zach, and he made my mommy and daddy comfortable knowing they had such an amazing healthcare professional on their son's side—I had a cool guardian angel.
From my wife and me:
The attention and time Zach spent on our son’s care and the effective communication of treatment plans were above and beyond. He advocated for our son when he was in pain, made sure our son stayed comfortable, and kept lines and leads away from 15-month-old grabby hands. He pushed for exceptional care by communicating with the team members and doctors, and if he didn’t know the answer, Zach almost immediately called or paged someone who did.
Coming into this, we were scared and knew we had an uphill battle in healing due to the severity of our son's injuries. But Zach stayed on point and up to date, and, despite his own needs, he was there not only for us but for others who needed his healing hands and compassion.
As parents of a medically complex child, the patient’s sister, we have been in and out of hospitals and surgery centers for 3 years in different hospital organizations and met hundreds of doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals. Zach was literally the best example of nursing and care you could ever give anyone. No one before him has ever set the bar so high on care for those in need.