... Joanne started taking care of a 7 month old patient within the first few days of his hospitalization in the PICU. During his admission the family learned that their son had a terminal illness. Joanne started forming a bond with both the patient and his parents throughout his days in the ICU.

Joanne took care of this patient with the same compassion she would her own children, and the parents recognized that. She would spend extra time every night bathing him and dressing him in the parents' favorite outfits. Eventually, they had a tough decision to make to either use life sustaining measures to keep their son alive with a trach, ventilator and gastric tube for feeding or to let their son die peacefully on hospice care. Joanne supported the family emotionally as they made the decision to end their son's struggle and take him home on hospice care. Joanne helped facilitate all the disciplines needed to get this patient home as soon as possible so he could spend his final days surrounded by his family in the comfort of his own crib. Because of the bond the family had formed with Joanne during their son's admission they kept in contact with her once they took him home for his last days.

They loved their son so much, but were very afraid of the journey they were about to embark on. They contacted Joanne when they were home on hospice care concerning their son's medical status and physical distress, and invited her to come by for moral support. She took time out of her busy day to go spend some time with this family at their home to give them the emotional support they needed to help comfort their dying baby. Her presence gave them the strength they needed to continue his journey to heaven peacefully.

Joanne's ongoing care and compassion for her patients extends far beyond the hospital walls where she comes to work. Her dedication is recognized by all of her co-workers who are proud to work alongside her.